A Tale of Two Worlds
by Dalamar Nightson
Summary: New chapter: The prom scene, finally! Ahead fancy dresses, raw meat, a kiss, and a fight.
1. An Interesting Experiment

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Krynn or anyone on it. Yet. (Rubs hands, laughs evilly) Just kidding. Anything you recognize isn't mine, anything you don't most likely is.  
  
Chapter 1: An Interesting Experiment   
  
I tentatively knocked on the door. "Shalafi, you wanted to see me?"  
  
"Yes. Come in. I have been doing some experiments that may interest you." I cautiously opened the door. Things have been known to blow up in my face. Nothing blew up, but what I saw in Raistlin Majere's workroom was definitely the weirdest assortment of things I'd seen in my life. Including when I had to retrieve some "borrowed" spoons from Tasslehoff's pouches! My Shalafi was sitting at the enormous table hitting something with his fingers. He was staring into this odd machine that looked like glass except it had images on it. Around him were objects of every shape and size imaginable. There were things that appeared to be clothes, but looked like nothing ever make on Krynn. And to top it all, there was this big glowing portal in the middle of the room from which the Archmage would occasionally pull something out of. For a minute, I could do nothing but stand in the doorway, gaping.   
  
"Well, are you coming in, or not?" My Shalafi's voice was impatient. I hurried in and closed the door. "I have been doing experiments with the ancients' concept of portals, but I've expanded the distance as far as I can stretch it. I believe I now have contact to a whole different world. What you see around me are samples of their technology, culture, and life. My next step is to go through the portal myself. I will be going as a teenage human."   
  
When I could finally speak, I thought of something. "Shalafi, maybe it would be better if I went. I have become very adept at keeping up a glamour constantly." *cough* "Holes!" *cough* "Sorry, frog in my throat. Anyway, I'm more expendable, and if you don't mind me saying so, I do have a higher tolerance level for idiots than you. So, can I go?"   
  
Raistlin looked at me ponderingly. "You may have a point. You are usually more comfortable in places like schools, and less likely to curse someone. And as far as I know, they have no magic, as we know it there. I could always make a spell that would allow me to see and hear everything you do, and allow you to talk to me and vice-versa without others hearing. All right." He pulled out a huge sheaf of strange papers. "Read this by tomorrow morning. It's everything important that I've been able to learn about this new world."   
  
There had to be at least 500 back and front pages there, but I knew better than to argue. I took the papers from him and went to my room to start reading.   
  
*****************************************************************  
  
The next morning after breakfast, we met in the workroom. Raistlin handed me a tiny shard of something. "You must put this on your eye and never take it out. It will not obstruct your vision. As long as you have it, I will be able to see through your eyes and hear through your ears. Also, anything I say that's directed to you, you will hear, and any thought you direct to me, I will hear. You will be joining the High School called Oak Hill, in the eleventh grade. It is in New York, which if you read the information I gave you, you will know is in the United States. Here is what you are to wear." He handed me a pile of the unusual clothes. "Change, get your Glamour ready, and meet me back here in 30 minutes."  
  
I went to my room and tried to figure out the clothing. From what I remember from my informational package, the pants were a blue fabric known as denim. The shirt was fairly big and had a strange emblem on it. I'd have to remember to find out what that meant. The shoes were a bit odd, but after a bit of trial and error, I got everything on correctly. Then I spent a couple of minutes fixing my glamour. I tried not to change my appearance too much, because that would make it harder to keep up constantly. I rounded out my pointed ears, and made myself appear less fine-boned. I also made my eyes rounder and less slanted. I remembered reading that there were some young human males with long hair on this "Earth" so I just left my hair as is. I looked in my mirror and found (a bit to my dismay) that I looked exactly like a young human. I made my way back to the workroom.  
  
As I entered the workroom, a rare smile touched Raistlin's face. "You look like a human, Apprentice," he said wryly.   
  
"Don't rub it in. I believe I'm ready to go. How will I find the school where I'm going to go?"   
  
"Don't worry about that. You will enter the world in the woods behind the school. Just sneak around the front and enter with all of the other students. I've seen a floor plan of the school. Directly in the main entrance is the office. Go in, and ask for directions to the 'Guidance Office.'   
  
"Once you are there," he handed me a letter, "Give them this. It explains that you will be entering the school in the eleventh grade. I've explained your lack of knowledge about their culture and history by explaining that your father worked as a doctor in a small village in Eritrea, Africa and you've spent most of your life there. The letter is spelled so that whatever name you give yourself will automatically appear on the letter, and the last name will go on you 'father's' signature.  
  
"Any supplies you need immediately, I will send you through the portal, which for the most part will be able to follow you without being seen. If you're forced to answer any questions you don't know the answer to, listen for me; I may be able to tell you. I believe that is it. Now, all you have to do is climb onto the table and walk through the portal. Good luck. Remember to always keep the object I gave you, or you will lose all contact with myself, and Krynn. I don't know if I'd be able to find you again. Now go." Raistlin was now adjusting the portal's position with the object I believe is called a "computer", so that I'd be completely hidden from view when I emerged. I climbed onto the table and walked through the portal. I felt a weird feeling akin to walking into a wall of jelly, and there was a loud booming noise in my ears.   
  
Author's Note: Please review!! I have several more chapters already written, but they're not going up until I get reviews! You can say whatever you want when you review (criticism is fine) as long as you have a good reason for it. Sorry this chapter was so short; it was really just an introduction. Well, hope you enjoyed it.  
  
~Dalamar Nightson 


	2. The New Kid

Disclaimer: Anyone you recognize from DL isn't mine. Neither is almost everyone is this chapter.  
  
For this chapter, I was lazy and didn't feel like changing my italics to asterisks or anything, so please know that anything said between Dally and Raistlin is thought, not spoken aloud.  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: The New Kid   
  
When I came to my senses on the other side of the portal, I found myself in a wooded area looking over a strange building. It appeared that the school day had just started, and there were droves of young humans emerging from what I believe are called automobiles and entering the building. I used my natural elven stealth to sneak into the crowd.  
  
When I was in the building, I looked around. There was one room that looked like it might be the office. I went in, and barely looking up, the woman at the desk gave me directions to the Guidance Office.  
  
I walked around the corner, and went into a smallish office with a couple of women sitting at desks. I explained to the one closest to me that I was a new student.  
  
"Name?" She said in a fairly bored tone.  
  
"Da..." I started without thinking.  
  
"Fool! Not your real name!!" My Shalafi bellowed in my head. "Say 'Daniel.' It's a fairly common name there."  
  
"Daniel." I finished. "Daniel ... Silver, Ma'am." I used the Silvanesti translation of my true last name for my new identity.  
  
The woman at the desk looked up at me. "Well Daniel Silver, I need a letter from a parent if not to see them in person if you're to join the school." I pulled the letter Raistlin had written and spelled for me out of my pocket and handed it to her. She quickly skimmed the letter, and looked at me quizzically. "Eritrea?"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am. It's a small country on the eastern side of Africa. I can speak both the major language, Tigrinya, as well as the one most spoken in my village, Kunama." Raistlin was dictating to me, because I hadn't had time to study the country. All of a sudden, it hit me what I'd just said. "What!?!" I thought to Raistlin. "I don't know any African dialects! What if someone asks me to say something? What if you don't have time to dictate a sentence to me? How am I supposed to keep up this ruse?"  
  
"Don't get hyper, apprentice. Just speak Elvish. You know Silvanesti as well as a lot of Kagonesti. No one there will know the difference. I chose a country with fairly unknown languages for just that purpose. Don't worry." Raistlin thought back to me.  
  
By that time, the woman at the desk had re-read my letter, and was speaking into an odd device that seemed to broadcast her voice. "Will Alanna Cooper please come to the Guidance Office?" She put the device back on the hook. "There's a young lady coming down here now. She'll show you around and you can follow her schedule for now. Ah, here she is." A fairly slim, short, attractive young human with long, wavy, brown, flyaway hair walked into the office. "Alanna, this is Daniel Silver. Daniel, Alanna Cooper. Alanna, if you will show Daniel around and get him settled? He just moved from Eritrea, in Africa."  
  
"Sure Mrs. Rivera." She started out the door. "Hi." She put her hand out for me to shake. "Our first class is Global. This way. Most of your classes will be in that wing," she pointed, "which is the eleventh grade wing."  
  
We walked down the hallway and into a room. There were a bunch of human teenagers sitting at desks, which were arranged in rows with groups of three connecting. At the front of the room, there was a tall male who was explaining a diagram of the defenses of a fairly primitive-looking castle. It was to this man that Alanna spoke. "Mr. Clearlake? This is Daniel. He's moved here from Africa, and I was asked to show him around."  
  
"Welcome to the U.S. Daniel. It happens that the seat next to Alanna is empty, so why don't you sit there. As you can probably surmise, we are studying the Middle Ages in Europe. Take out paper and a pen, and start copying these notes." He indicated the wall with the diagram.  
  
I followed Alanna to the front of the class to the three desks in front of the teacher's desk. As we sat down, she indicated the girl on the other side of her seat. "That's Jess." She spoke in a low whisper. The girl Jess was slightly slimmer than Alanna, and had glasses. She also had long wavy brown hair, which seemed a little tamer than Alanna's did. She was also taller than Alanna, who was not a giant, to say the least.  
  
"Thanks. Paper and a pen?" I thought to Raistlin.  
  
"Yes. I have some. Reach back as though you're reaching into your back pocket. I'll hand some through."  
  
I did as he said, and found some odd, white lined paper and a skinny writing utensil in my hand. As I turned around, I noticed Alanna reading a note written in an odd, flowing manner I couldn't read, chuckle, and nod in total agreement to Jess. "What's that?" I asked. It didn't look like any form of written Common I'd ever seen. It's delicate curls and curves actually bore a strange resemblance to Elvish.  
  
"Oh. Nothing. It's Elvish. I'll explain after this period," she whispered back. I nearly fell off of my seat in shock, and went back to copying the diagram. Then, I noticed something.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Clearlake? Is that diagram supposed to be to scale?"  
  
He looked at me oddly. "Yes. It's not perfect, but it is approximate. Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Well sir, if you're illustrating the castle's defenses, the walls are too short. They'd have to be a little higher for the archers to be able to hit the enemy over the moat without being hit themselves if they were standing on top of the walls."  
  
"How did you figure that out? Anyway," his voice took on a defensive tone, "I said it was an approximation."  
  
"Oh, well, um, my father was a bit of a Middle Ages buff, and he taught me a lot about castles. Also, once we took a trip to England and toured several. Once you know castles well, it was just a simple equation." I said the first thing that came to mind, with a little help from Raistlin.  
  
Then, Raistlin spoke to me. "You IDIOT!!! Don't draw attention to your knowledge of that time period! You can't seem anything out of the ordinary. Also, I may not always be listening closely enough to catch your little slips!" My Shalfi sounded furious. I was a bit glad that I was on the other side of the portal. I thought back a mumbled 'sorry' and turned my attention back to class.  
  
The rest of Global passed without incident; I kept to myself comments about the primitive nature of the castle and it's defenses. Then, a loud bell rang and made me jump. "That bell means class is over. Our next class is English. Come on!" Alanna got out of her seat and followed Jess out of the room. I soon joined them in the next room to the left. Once we'd gotten seated and Alanna had introduced me to the teacher, I remembered her cryptic remark from Global.  
  
"What were you talking about, with that paper?" I whispered, not wanting to reveal anything.  
  
"Oh. This?" She showed me the piece of paper. "I said its Elvish. From Tolkein. You know, the author of Lord of the Rings?" I suppose my face showed my conspicuous lack of recognition. "Well, maybe in Africa, you wouldn't have heard of Lord of the Rings, or fantasy, or elves."  
  
There, I had to interrupt. "Well, I've heard of elves. And magic and things. Just not that ... Token? you mentioned."  
  
"Tolkein," she corrected. "Anyway, that's the lettering he invented for the elves in his stories. Jess and I sometimes use it to pass notes, because even if we're caught, no one will be able to read what we wrote."  
  
"Oh." Now I understood. Books seemed to be very common on this world, and their 'Elvish' was an author's invented code. Then, the teacher, Mrs. Poveronti spoke.  
  
"Today, we'll do an essay based on the story you all should have read last night. Your topic will be writing an essay about a member of your family who you depend upon. Now, can anyone tell me what this has to do with our story?" She looked around the room. Several people raised their hands, including Alanna and Jess. Mrs. Poveronti called on a skinny girl with kind of limp, strait dark hair. "Catarina?" The girl shook her hair, and shot Alanna and Jess a sneer in the process.  
  
"Well, Mrs. Poveronti, the main character Josiah was looking for his family through the whole book. The moral was to never take what you have for granted." She flashed a grin to several blonds who were sitting on either side of her, who smiled back.  
  
The teacher seemed unaware of this classroom rivalry, and smiled. "Very good Catarina. Now get to work."  
  
"Oh dear." I thought to Raistlin. "I may need some help on this one. Well, here goes. Lets see ..." I started to write. 'My father worked as a doctor in a small village in the African country of Eritrea...'  
  
Author's Notes: First: thank you to all of my reviewers. Sorry I didn't post earlier; I know I promised I would after three. So, I can't count! ~_^ To everyone who requested Raistlin's appearance, it's coming in a while, it was in my original plan for the story. No worries!  
  
Alien21XX: To clear this up, the contact lens thing doesn't affect vision in any way, it just has the form of modern contacts. Thanks anyway. Also, in my little world, the portal can change shape to become smaller – say binder or smaller sized.  
  
All right. I know someone will say something in this round of reviews, so I'll say it for you. Yes, I'm aware that this is a self-insertion. Tough if you don't like those. The names are changed, by the way. Feel free to flame and vent if you wish, I know it brings satisfaction. (I frequently flame slash just because it pisses me off) So, feel free, but know I'll probably leave you a nice note in this section in the next chapter. Also, I prefer it when people give a REASON for not liking my story; more than not feeling I'm a good character. I assure you, it does have a plot, and in my view a good one. So, please bear with me for this lapse in my normal style. Another 3 reviews before an update, please! (Really three this time! Honest!!!) 


	3. Of Calculus and Cold Chicken

Disclaimer: Anything or anyone you recognize ain't me. All of the original characters do, so deal. All of the original characters, though based on real people, were given false names for security purposes.  
  
Author's note: I must warn you, I changed my pseudonym this chapter. The lead female is now known as Maegith Cooper, not Alanna. I forgot to say, the name of Alanna didn't belong to me, but as I got no threats of lawsuits, I guess no one cared. Anyway, I changed that name.  
  
Chapter 3: Of Calculus and Cold Chicken  
  
  
The next class was math across the hall with Mrs. Egunt. We were doing something called 'calculus' that was complete dwarvish to me. Luckily, my teacher excused me from the homework to give me a night to catch up on what I'd missed. To me, it seemed like I'd need much more than one night.  
  
My fourth period class, Technology, was a little better, because all we did was learn how to make scale drawing on paper with a grid. It was actually quite easy.   
  
Next was Earth Science, with Mr. Rennolds. There were groups of two, two- person tables lined up. I was sitting next to Maegith, who was next to Jess. We started taking notes on heat transfer. For some odd reason, maybe to try to be funny, Mr. Rennolds drew a rabbit in the diagram, along with some people around a campfire on rocks. The campfire and people made sense, but the rabbit was very random. All of a sudden, Maegith nudged Jess and showed her her notebook. First, Jess held back a laugh, and then made a face in mock anger. I nudged Maegith and gave her a quizzical look. She wrote something and then showed me the picture.  
  
It had 'It's a book joke, you probably won't get it' written on the top. On the rocks, instead of two stick figures, she had given the people more definition. They were apparently wearing what looked like black robes and had long hair. Obviously men, one had penciled gray hair and the other black. The gray haired one had a staff with a jewel on top portrayed to be glowing, and looked oddly like a crude Staff of Magus. That man was yelling " Aaaahhh! Bunnies!!" The other was thinking 'blackmail' and 'I'm going to be the Master of the Black robes!'  
  
That's odd. It almost reminded me of Raistlin and me! I smirked silently. But it couldn't be. Still, I had to find out. I scribbled a note back to Maegith. 'Who are they? They seem familiar.'  
  
She took the notebook back, wrote for a moment, and passed it back. 'Book characters. You wouldn't have heard of them in Eritrea.' I was relieved. They couldn't have anything about Krynn in their libraries. There had been no previous contact. I breathed a sigh of relief. Earth Science wore on.  
  
At the end of class, Maegith groaned. I looked back and forth between her and Air's pained expressions. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
Jess and Maegith looked at each other. It was Jess who replied. "Oh, nothing, we're just going to Hell next period; mile run, gym class. Both of us hate gym in general, but mile day is the worst. Come on, we've got to hurry; the gym's on the other end of the building. We walked off quickly.  
  
"In the future, on gym days, wear anything other than jeans," Maegith informed me. "They take points off if you don't, but they won't care since this is your first day. They probably will make you run, though. Those people are pure evil..."  
  
*Pure evil?* Raistlin smirked to me. *Those girls don't know what evil is!* I silently laughed back.  
  
"... and live to torture students." Maegith concluded. We got to the gym door. "You can just go in the main door, or down there is the boy's locker room if you want to put down your stuff." Through the day, I had accumulated several binders, notebooks, and writing utensils via Raistlin. I opted to go to the locker room.  
  
I met back up with Jess and Maegith in the main gym, where she introduced me to Mrs. Schneider. Mrs. Schneider seemed nice enough, but had to ask a 'Mr. Incled' whether or not I had to run. She came back a second later and said I did. Maegith and Jess traded knowing glances. We sat down in our 'squads'.  
  
"I don't think Mrs. Schneider seems so bad. What were you talking about?"  
  
"Well," Maegith said, "Mrs. Schneider really isn't that bad, and neither is Mrs. Wanserman. It's Mr. Incled who's the bad one. The others are actually kind of nice. But, this whole course is hell, even with nicer teachers. Oh, here we go outside to the football field." We got up and started walking. Then, two girls came up to us, one the brunette who had given an answer in English, and the other a dirty blond who seemed to be one of the other girl, Catalina's, cohorts.  
  
Catalina spoke. "So, girls, gonna break a school record today?" She used an overly honeyed and friendly tone.  
  
"Yeah," the other girl said. "Slowest ever!" Both girls jogged off laughing. Maegith looked depressed, and Jess glared murder into their quickly retreating blacks.  
  
I needed to break the tension. "It's alright. I'm sure you'll do fine." At that moment, I decided that I'd personally make sure of that. Those two girls brought back some unpleasant memories of my childhood, and I felt a need to prove them wrong.  
  
"Thanks." Maeg looked up at me gratefully. "We're not that slow, really, but I have come in a proud last several years strait. However, on the bright side, I've never broken that record Catalina mentioned. Believe me, I've checked." She gave the half smile of one facing impending doom and trying to make light of the situation.  
  
We finally reached the field. Catalina and her gaggle of friends, including the other girl sneered. "See you in a couple of hours, Geeks!" said the blond who had laughed before. The teacher gave the signal to start running.  
  
"Ooh. I'm going to kill Alicia. Look at her sneer. And she probably doesn't have enough brains to fill a teaspoon!" Jess scowled and started running faster.  
  
"Can I help?" Maegith sped up too. "But torture would be more fitting I think." She grinned at Jess who grinned back. We were nearing the first corner when both girls, especially Maegith started to lag. I started thinking of some spells I could use. I thought of a couple. One, which I would cast at the pack of sneering girls ahead, would make them feel as though they'd been running for five times as long as they actually had been. It would take a circuit or two for them to slow down, and wouldn't be too conspicuous that way. The other would give Jess and Maegith extra strength, so they'd come to the finish well within the time limit. About another quarter of a lap around, both spells started to really set in. Jess and Maegith both sped up a little and gave each other surprised looks. They shrugged and sped up more. I started really running, because I certainly didn't want the title of last!  
  
After another few minutes, Catalina, Alicia, and their crowd started to fall back. I grinned at their shocked looks when Maegith and Jess passed them, barely out of breath.  
  
Finally, gym ended. Jess, Maegith, and I finished at about the same time. Jess and Maegith looked tired, but happy. As we walked back into the gym, they said that the next period was lunch. They told me where their table was, and we agreed to meet there.  
  
As I walking out of the boy's locker room, Catalina and her cronies suddenly surrounded me. "You know," Catalina said. "You should really not hang out with people like that."  
  
"Like what?" I said.  
  
"Like them." A skinny blond continued. "Sometimes, I think those losers actually believe in things from books like magic!" She said the word that was my livelihood with contempt.  
  
"Thank you for the advice, girls. But I think I'm perfectly capable to judge people on my own." I turned my back on them without waiting for an answer and walked into the cafeteria across the hall.  
  
I quickly found Maegith's table, and sat down in an empty seat. Maegith motioned at the other two girls at their end of the table. "Daniel, this is Joan," She pointed to a slender girl with brown hair and slightly darker skin then herself. "And Maria." She gestured to another other girl, who was wearing thick glasses and a bandana over very dark braided hair. "And that's Rebecca." She motioned to a girl with curly blond hair I recognized from a couple of our classes. She turned to the other girls. "This is Daniel Silver. He just moved from Africa." Joan, Rebecca, and Maria nodded to me.  
  
Maegith turned to me again. "Did you bring anything for lunch?" I shook my head. "All right. I'll just get some extra stuff for you from the lunch line. Anything you don't eat?" I shook my head again. "Okay. We'll be back soon." She headed up with the rest of the table to the front of the cafeteria where the food was sold. I took the opportunity to look around the cafeteria and eavesdrop on people's conversations with my heightened elven hearing. Most of the people were talking about things that were fairly boring to me, such as the homework, or the school sports teams. Then, I heard my name.  
  
"That new boy Daniel is so hot!" One of Catalina's blond cronies was saying. I believe it was the one who told me not to hang out with Maegith and Jess. "I hope Maeg doesn't have her hopes up about him. I mean, look at her! I could get him by the end of the day if he talks to me."  
  
"Oh come on." Catalina said. "You? It's me he'll go out with. But your right, Maeg has no chance." The whole table sneered. I nearly laughed at how much they sounded like some of the elven ladies I knew when I was a child. I contained my amusement though, because my tablemates were coming back. They sat down and Jess turned to Maeg.  
  
"So, Dalamar, you're coming to my house today, right?" I blinked. I must have heard wrong.  
  
"Yeah, Raist." Sam replied. "I'm sleeping over too, right? Yeah, today's Wednesday." She mused. When I heard my Shalafi's childhood nickname in response to mine, my mouth flew open. I closed it before anyone noticed, though.  
  
I had to find out how they knew my name. " Excuse me, Maeg? What did you and Jess just call each other?" I tried to keep my voice calm.  
  
"Oh, those are just our nicknames. See, mine's Dalamar, after a book character, Jess's is Raistlin after another character from the same book, Joan's is Hawkeye, and Maria's is Ryoko after an Anime' character. Rebecca is called Gandalf after a character from the book series I told you about before. I doubt you'd have heard of the books Jess and I take our names from in Eritrea. The series is called DragonLance. Why? Is something wrong?" I supposed my panic and astonishment showed on my face.  
  
"Ah, no. I think I may've read a few books in that series. My father sometimes got some unknown books for me." I hoped that would be a passable excuse. *Holy Nuitari!* I yelled at Raistlin.  
  
*What are you over-reacting about now?* He answered in an annoyed tone. Obviously, he'd been doing something else and not heard the conversation.  
  
*They've heard of us here!! We're in a book series called 'DragonLance'!*  
  
*Are you sure?* My Shalafi sounded concerned.  
  
*Yes! Maegith and Jess call each other Dalamar and Raistlin! They even knew your childhood nickname; Raist! I mean how many people of those names can there be associated with each other?*  
  
*Well, find out as much as you can, but DONT give yourself away.* I turned back to the table conversation, and realized Jess had just asked me a question.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." I tried to hide my nervousness.  
  
"It's alright." She said. "I asked if you wanted to came over to my house with Maeg after school."  
  
"Oh." I said. I was glad they hadn't noticed my attention lapse and momentary panic. "Sure. But I don't have a way to get there."  
  
"That's fine. It'll be tight, but you'll fit in my car." She smiled. "We can show you some things about American culture."  
  
Lunch passed without further incident, other than Maria commenting on the sad state of the chicken, which they served for lunch. Then, it was time for Spanish.  
  
Authors notes: First, I'd like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers.  
  
Kenderling: Thank you for your continuing support for my shameless self- insertion. By the way, the psychological spats are a bit real. Though some traits in this story are exaggerated, it's all based on fact, or at least my perception of it. And too true about writing yourself subconsciously: I know for a fact all of my characters have traits of mine. (short, more academic than athletic, etc...)  
  
Alien21xx: glad my note was useful to you. Sorry I made my description so vague – sometimes I picture something but don't put all of the details into words. To answer your new question: the portal is disguised for the most part in this world. So, if Raistlin passed Dally a pencil, all someone else would see would be a pencil and part of a hand emerging through thin air. Glad you brought that up – it plays a part in a couple of chapters. About Dalamar's name trouble: your right, he couldn't really pause to think in his circumstances, and hadn't had time to think about it the night before, what with his 500 page packet and all. Glad you read for errors though, it's useful.  
  
Guan and Jade Limill: thanks tons for your reviews. Raistlin is coming, never fear.  
  
Well, see y'all soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. 


	4. The Language Barrier

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything you recognize from outside of my story, as I'm sure you must have figured out by now.  
  
A/n: Sorry to anyone who might know Elvish – I've only skimmed my Tolkien language book (beating head against wall in Dobby-like fashion), and therefore know nothing about sentence structure. However, with the help of that book, I only truly made up one word. (Melad, from the Latin root Mela for black, or coloring or some such thing) Anyway, I apologize most sincerely for massacring what I feel is the greatest language on Earth.  
  
The Language Barrier  
  
  
Our Spanish class was very small, with only 16 people. Class started and Maegith and Jess had introduced me to the teacher, Mrs. Casa. "Well, Daniel, it's nice to have you with us. I'm afraid you'll be a bit lost, because the others have been taking this class for several years. Since this is a language class, why don't you say something in the African language you know?"  
  
I froze for a second. Then, I remembered what Raistlin had said about just using Elvish. "Oh. Ok. This is Kunama, a minor language spoken in my village: Nan melad alredhelo Silvanesti, ar silalyeu." Literally, I'm a Dark Elf from Silvanesti, and thou shinest not. Spoken to one who knows the language, the latter part is an idiom meaning that you're idiots. I then translated for the class. "I said 'my name is Daniel Silver and I'm glad to be here.'"  
  
"Wow Daniel." The teacher said. "That's neat. Your language is more musical than I expected."  
  
I held back a laugh, knowing what I had really said. "Thank you, Ma'am." I also heard Raistlin snickering, because he was fairly fluent in all of the elven tongues.  
  
*Nice phrase, apprentice! Not exactly what I'd been thinking of when I'd suggested using Elvish, but appropriate from what I've seen so far.* He chuckled again. I snickered back, and turned my attention back on the class. I had missed the suspicious, confused glance that Jess and Maegith exchanged. Mrs. Casa had been correct, and there was not much I could understand from the class. Finally though, the class was over and so was the day.  
  
Author's Note: Well, sorry for the short chapter. It made both the last and next chapters too long, if I'd added it either place, so it's here. Deal with it. ~_^ I'll put up more on review. Speaking of reviews: Thank you, my wonderful reviewers! You people rock!  
  
Kenderling: My motto is "Female gym teachers are clinically insane, but male gym teachers are the avatar of evil!" You didn't have to do the mile in high school? I hate you! ~_^ By the way, I really did draw doodles in my science book of Dally and Raist, mostly because of my teacher's unhealthy obsession with rabbits. Mostly the only reason I kept the cursed thing... Sorry, you may not kill Catalina. Hard as it may be to believe, she does have a part to play. Thanks for the encouragement!  
  
Guan: Thanks muchly!  
  
Jade Limill: Don't we all? ^_^ 


	5. American Culture

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.  
  
A/N: This is for Raistlin Majere, the anonymous reviewer. If you're reading this, I appreciate it very much. Thank you for the flame, I totally deserved that. Blushing scarlet Spelling never was my strong point. However I must say, I don't think a badly spelled summary (which is not spelled with an e) is a reason not to read a story, as Microsoft Word has spell check. Also, Mr. or Mrs. Perfect, do you honestly think Raistlin would say dude? Sorry, that slipped out. Anyway, I do appreciate you catching my mistake. Hope you've developed a better opinion of my writing. This isn't my best story, if you were wondering. And, Raistlin's mistake later this chapter was written approximately a year ago, so it has nothing to do with you.  
  
American Culture   
  
We left Mrs. Casa's class and gathered our books before heading outside. "Just to warn you," Jess was addressing me. "We'll be a bit squished. My Corvette is a two-seater."  
  
"Um, all right." I had no clue what she was talking about, but decided to go along with it. Soon after we reached the lawn in front of the school, Maegith found out the hard way she'd been carrying one of her folders backwards when it spilled out all over the lawn. She cursed loudly. Jess and I bent down to help her pick everything up, but she waved us away.  
  
"Go show Daniel your Baby, Jess. I'll catch up in a minute." I was confused by her terminology, but went along with Jess. We walked down the block for a while, and Jess stopped when we got to a thing colored deep black. It had red flame markings on the end, and the word 'Corvette' in silver on the back. From what I'd read the night before, I surmised it was some type of a car. What I believe was called the 'license plate' bore the words "beating u." Judging by the other cars around it, it was very high class. Then I realized Maeg hadn't been referring to a real baby, but one in the sense of a knight's prize sword, or a mage's most valuable book. Jess unlocked the car, and was showing me the seats and other features. Then I realized that Maeg seemed to be taking a long time.  
  
"Excuse me a second, I think I dropped something too." Jess nodded, and I started walking back towards the school. After only a few feet, my Elven hearing started to pick up what I couldn't hear from the car. I also saw a heavy young man with curly blond hair approach Maegith.   
  
"Hi Maegith," the boy said, leering at her.  
  
"Oh, bug off Arnold." She started to get up, having re-organized her folder. Sensing trouble, I walked a little closer.  
  
"Wanna come for a ride with me?" Arnold indicated a battered old truck. "I could give you a good ride!" He smiled lecherously.  
  
I could see Maegith start to get flustered. "I said bug off! Anyway, I've told you, I already have a boyfriend." I kept walking towards them.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I remember. George Cooper, in Westchester. What's he going to do from there?" He grabbed Maeg's wrist.  
  
"Let go!" Maeg wrenched he wrist back. "I ... I broke up with George." I could tell she was lying about the whole thing by the way she started to stumble on her words. I started walking faster. "I have a new boyfriend," she said. "Right here at Oak Hill! His name is ... ah..."  
  
I timed my arrival perfectly. "Daniel Silver." I put my arm possessively around Maegith's shoulders and hoped she'd play along. I didn't offer Arnold my hand to shake. I had to nudge Maegith lightly so she'd get the look of shock off of her face. She recovered quickly, and crossed her arms in and 'I told you so' gesture. I addressed the boy. "Now, I'd best not see you touching my girl or bothering her in any way." I hoped Maegith wouldn't take offense at my words or possessive attitude.  
  
Arnold looked angry, then amused. "Or what? Do you really want to fight me?" He looked at my skeptically.  
  
"Are you sure it's you who should be asking that question?" I pointedly stared at his considerable girth. "Anyway, to answer your question, no, I don't particularly want to fight you, or anyone, but I will if I have to. C'mon, Maeg." I lightly steered her away, towards Jess's car. By this time, Jess had started walking our way to see what had happened. I quickly dropped my arm. Maegith looked up at me gratefully.  
  
"Thanks a lot. How'd you know I needed help? You were great!"  
  
"Oh, just call it instinct." I hoped she wouldn't probe about how I'd seen her all of the way from Jess's car. We walked the rest of the way to Jess's car. "Okay. I found the thing I'd dropped. I'm ready."  
  
Jess motioned to the open doors of the car. "Hop in. As I said, it'll be a little squished, because it's a two seater, but we should all fit." I got in on one side and moved over on the seat as much as I could to allow room for Maegith to fit. The other side had an odd wheel thing and a lot of little buttons and dials. I started to get nervous because of the eerie resemblance it bore to things of gnome make. However, Maegith and Jess seemed perfectly comfortable, so I tried to calm myself. As we were about to go, Maeg thought of something.  
  
"Oh, Daniel? Is this your first time in a real car?" I nodded. "Then you'd best sit next to the window so you don't get car sick. It'll be a lot faster than anything you're used to from Africa, and this is a new shirt." She grinned to let me know she was joking about me throwing up on her. We traded places.  
  
"Hold on," said Jess as she turned the key. The car made a rumbling sound and started to move. Jess turned the car out from where it had been parked and started to drive down the street. It felt odd; amazing and nauseating at the same time. Jess opened the window I was seated next to let some fresh air in. When the air hit my face, I immediately felt better. I guess Jess noticed the giddy grin on my face. "You want to go faster?" I shrugged, and she picked up speed. It was an extraordinary feeling, moving so fast that the street started to look a bit blurred if I watched in a certain way. Suddenly, I was thrown back against the seat.  
  
"What happened? Did it break?" I panicked, thinking once again about gnome inventions.  
  
"No silly. We just got to a traffic light." Maegith motioned at a circular, red light suspended above us. "See, red means you have to stop, so people going in different directions can cross safely. Green is go, and yellow means slow down before a red light." She finished her explanation, and the light turned green and we were off again.  
  
After many turns and several more traffic lights that left me totally lost, we turned onto a small, tree-lined street. "This is the block where our houses are," Jess said. She slowed the car down a bit. I looked around. There was a house on the left side of the street with two beautiful willow trees on the lawn and sign that said 'For Sale' that reminded me of something.  
  
Raistlin? I thought. Where am I going to stay over night? I haven't seen any inns or anything.   
  
I guess we'll have to buy a house. Raistlin sounded a bit miffed that he hadn't planned for that. Have you seen any for sale?  
  
Actually, we just passed one! That's what made me think of it.  
  
All right. I'll see what I can do. I just put a cell phone in your book bag. I remembered reading about that amazing form of communication. Later, after I buy it, I'll call you on the cell phone. Act surprised that it's the one on this street.  
  
I mentally nodded and turned my attention back to what Jess was saying. We were just turning into the 'driveway' I believe she called it, of her house. Maeg's house was the one directly to the right. We all got out of the car, and walked into Jess's house. She mentioned that her parents were out at the moment. We went into Jess's room. The first thing you noticed about it was the big bookcase and all of the loose books strewn around the room. There was also a bed and a computer and a dresser and some shelves. On the wooden floor was a very plush looking rug.  
  
For a while, we did our homework, the girls helping me on the math and a few other things, me helping them on the social studies. "Have you ever seen a computer?" Jess suddenly asked when we were done.  
  
"Yes, but I'd be interested in seeing the kinds of things you have here! My father had very few things on his." Jess turned on the computer, and I watched the screen come up with interest. When the main page came up, it had several little boxes, on a background that had a man that seemed strangely familiar. When Maeg saw it, she was stuck by an idea. "Oh yeah! You said you read some of the DragonLance books! That's a great picture of Raistlin, isn't it? Not quite how I imagined him, but close enough!" I looked at the picture again, and saw it did almost, slightly resemble the Shalafi. Not really though.  
  
I couldn't help myself. "That's not how ..." I suddenly remembered my caution. "... I imagined him either." I finished, a bit lamely. The girls then showed me some of the things you can do on the computer, and it was fairly interesting. Then, Maegith had an epiphany. "Daniel said he had a computer in Africa, so this must be kinda boring for him, but I know something I'm sure they didn't have! Movies! Come on! Lets go to the mall. Anyway, there's a new DragonLance book I need from Walden."  
  
Jess grinned. "Yeah! I've finally gotten enough money for Final Fantasy X2! I haven't had a chance to go buy it yet. Why don't we take your car this time, it will be less squished."  
  
I was quite baffled by all of this talk; what was a mall? And a Final Fantasy? That didn't sound too good. Then, my thoughts were broken by a loud ringing song. I was surprised, and then I heard Raistlin. That's your cell phone, idiot. Don't just stand there gawping; it's in the outer pouch of your book bag. Press the little green button, and act surprised. I did as he told me.  
  
"Hello?" I heard Raistlin's voice coming from the phone, and nearly dropped it in shock. I'd read about these things, but having one was quite a different experience.  
  
"Good afternoon, Son!" Raistlin spoke loudly, in case the girls could hear. "I found a house, and the former owners quite generously agreed we could move in tonight!"  
  
"A house? Where?" I hoped I sounded properly surprised.  
  
"A street called Herbert Lane. A one-story ranch with two willow trees in the front. Here... I'll give you directions."  
  
There, I interrupted. "I don't need directions! That is so weird. That's the street where two of my new friends live! I'm at one of their houses right now!"  
  
"Alright then. I'll see you tonight. Bye."  
  
"Bye, Dad." I hung up, and addressed the girls. "This is so awesome! The house my dad got is the one that was for sale down the block."  
  
The girls looked at each other, and as one yelled, "Cool!" Then, they steered me out the door to Maeg's house. She went in what I heard her call the garage and came out with what I could only assume was another car. However, it looked totally different from Jess's. This one was tiny, and more squarish. It was a bright blue and had a license plate reading "bookluvr." Maeg hopped out and opened a door behind hers and motioned for me to get in. I did and fastened on the belt. We drove for a while, and then pulled up to a huge building, the biggest I'd seen yet here. There were a lot of other cars parked around us.  
  
Jess looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure what movies are playing, so let's go to dinner and think about it." All of a sudden, I realized how hungry I was.  
  
"Were do we get dinner?" I couldn't smell anything that seemed edible. Maeg grinned.  
  
"I keep forgetting you've never been to a mall. There's a food court upstairs, where you can get anything you want. Jess and I will probably get pizza." I suppose my face showed my lack of comprehension at the word 'pizza'. "Oh, you've got to get pizza if you've never had it. It is basic American cuisine. Come on." She led the way inside the building. Then, I did start to smell food, though not anything I'd ever eaten. I was led to a little booth with a bunch of circular things in a display case. "Two plain and one pepperoni, please." The man nodded. We walked a little way down and another man asked what we wanted to drink. "Ah ... a coke and two root beers."Maeg turned to me. "I think you'll like root beer. It's great with pizza." The man handed Maeg three of what looked like cups, and three pieces of what I could only guess is pizza. Maeg handed Jess one, me one and took one herself. Then, both girls grabbed for a bottle of red and yellow flakes. Maeg surrendered it to Jess, who poured the flakes on her pizza. Maeg then did the same and took my slice back.  
  
"Wait! What is that?" Maeg smiled mysteriously as Jess contained a laugh.  
  
"You'll see. It's part of the experience." She then proceeded to cover my pizza with the stuff. We then went over to a very odd looking table and sat down. Jess and Maegith both took big bites of their food, gasped in unison and took long drinks from their cups. When done, they looked at me expectantly. "Come on! Try it!" Maeg urged me. I looked at it dubiously. "Don't worry, it won't kill you."  
  
I mustered up my courage and took a tiny bite. As it hit my tongue, my mouth felt like it was exploding. I started to choke, and Maeg pounded me on the back. "Ah. The joys of hot peppers!" Jess sounded quite amused.  
  
I finally got my breath back. "How do you eat that?" I managed to gasp.  
  
Maeg smiled wryly. "Practice. Don't worry. Everyone has that reaction at some point." She brushed off some of the pepper flakes with her napkin. "Now try." I hesitantly brought the slice back to my mouth. I took another bite. There was another explosion, but of a different sort. It was delicious! Sweet, and spicy at the same time! I wolfed down the rest of the slice without further hesitation. Then. It was time to go to the movies.  
  
The girls led me out of the food court, and to one of the oddest things I'd ever seen. It appeared to be a metal staircase, but it was moving! I think Maeg saw my shocked expression because she proceeded to explain. "Don't worry, it's called an escalator. You stand on one of the stairs and it takes you to the lower level automatically. Americans tend to be quite lazy! Come on." We went down the escalator, which I'm very pleased to say did NOT blow up.  
  
Jess and Maeg told me we were going to see a 'science fiction' movie call Star Wars Episode III, A New Evil. They got the tickets and walked over to a booth with a big line. "What's this?" I asked, perplexed.  
  
"Oh, this is the concession stand. We can get snacks here for in the movies. You have to taste popcorn. Don't worry, it's not spicy at all." Maeg added when she saw my wary expression. "We'll also get some more soda, and maybe chocolate."  
  
"Chocolate? You can get that here?" I was very surprised, only people in the highest classes on Krynn could afford it, and only the Silvanesti made it correctly. I'd only recently become acquainted with it in my days as Raistlin's apprentice.  
  
Maeg and Jess looked at each other and grinned; obviously there was some joke between them. Maeg grinned again. "Chocolate is life! Here, I'll get you some snowcaps. I'll get some M&Ms and we can split them." I hadn't the slightest idea what she could mean by 'snowcaps' and 'M&Ms', but then we were at the front of the line. Maeg ordered a bucket of 'popcorn' the previously mentioned sweets, and some 'sour gummy worms' for Jess. Then, we went downstairs into the movie theater. It was amazing! There were about one hundred seats and this huge screen with changing pictures on it.  
  
Then the theater lights dimmed, and there was SOUND too! It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen! We first saw previews, and then the movie. The movie was very interesting, though a bit predictable. I also didn't understand how all of this amazing technology could have been a long time ago, and said so to the girls. They smiled knowingly and told me that was the question of every person who'd ever seen Star Wars. We left the theater, and then went to Walden Books and Electronics Boutique to pick up the things Jess and Maeg wanted. I enjoyed looking around the stores, and realized how violent this culture was from the selection of 'video games.' Raistlin would have a hard time taking over, if those were indeed his plans.  
  
We left the mall, and I decided that this was definitely one of the best days of my life. It couldn't get better. We drove back to our street, and the girls dropped me off at my new house. I walked up my driveway, and then had a dilemma. How do I get in? Raistlin hadn't passed me any keys.  
  
Go up to the 'garage door', Raistlin instructed me. There you will find a key pad. Push in the numbers 3618. The door will open. You will go through to the door, where you can put in the same code to disable the burglar alarm. Go in, and type the code in again, pushing 'stay' first, so the alarm won't be set off by you. I've stocked you with food, more clothes, some of their money, a bed, and a surprise that you will find in the garage. Good first day! I was surprised at Raistlin's praise, but followed his instructions about getting into the garage to the letter.  
  
When I opened the garage door, my mouth dropped open. I'd found Raistlin's surprise. There was a black, shiny new vehicle I believe was called a motorcycle. It had the word Ducati in silver on the side. Raistlin had even gotten me a vanity plate saying 'blckrobe'. It was beautiful! I guess the day could get better! I decided to ride it to school the next day, so I'd need a bit of practice. I went into the house and set my book bag down, but went right back out.  
  
I got on the motorcycle and turned the key, which Raistlin had thoughtfully left in the vehicle, and promptly fell off. I guess it's a good thing elves don't need much sleep! It was still one of the best things I'd ever seen in my nearly century long life. Thank you SO much!  
  
No problem. By the way, there's a manual on the kitchen table, and leather pants and jacket to protect you when you fall in the bedroom. And don't feel funny about the leather, most 'bikers' where it. I hurried inside to get the manual and protective clothing. I sat down and proceeded to read. I'd finished the whole book within the hour and decided to try again. I spent the rest of the night riding around, occasionally thanking Raistlin again. By morning, I was fairly good.  
  
I caught a few hours of sleep, and then it was time for school. I put on my clothes and my new leather jacket and black helmet, and rode over to Maeg's house, where I'd agreed to meet the girls so they could give me a ride to school. When Maeg and Jess walked out, their mouths fell open in twin expressions of amazement. Jess recovered first.  
  
"Nice bike!" She managed to say.  
  
"Thanks. My dad got it for me last night, as a kind of apology for a hard move. By the way, here's money for my ticket, dinner, and snack last night. My dad hadn't changed our money yet."  
  
"Oh, thanks. Unnecessary, but thanks. By the way," Maeg pulled out a group of thin papers. "I thought you might want to catch up with American news. Here's the paper. There's an interesting article about an amazing theft chain yesterday on page two."  
  
With that, we set off to school. We got there, and there was another ten minutes before school started. I decided to look at the article, and got a big surprise. Steel Thief Robbery Chain Yesterday was the headline. It looked interesting. A chain of robberies hit New York and the surrounding area yesterday. All were executed in broad daylight, though there are no suspects. The items taken were seemingly unrelated, some of no value. A motorcycle, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, writing utensils, and clothes were among the things taken. However, there is one peculiar element linking these strange robberies. At all of the crime scenes, some odd steel coins were left. (See picture above) When asked, all of the storeowners and employees claimed not to have seen anything out of the ordinary. No fingerprints were found at any of the sites. However, the police are still looking. Anyone with information is asked to call either the police hotline (555-HELP) or this newspaper's information line, 555-NEWS. The article continued along the same vein, with some interviews with the different storeowners. However, I had read all that I needed to. The coin they showed only enforced my shock. I hoped Raistlin was awake.  
  
Shalafi? I heard a grunt. I guess he hadn't been awake. Bad move on my part. I winced. Are you awake?  
  
Now I am. What do you want?  
  
Um, sorry for waking you, but it's kind of important. How did you pay for the things you got for me yesterday?  
  
Steel. Why?  
  
I was a bit amused. My Shalafi had actually made a mistake! They don't take steel here! There was an article in a local newspaper today. I focused my gaze on the paper again so Raistlin could read it. I could practically hear his blush.  
  
It never occurred to me; they're such an advanced society in every other aspect! I suppose I should give them some gold for the motorcycle at least... But this still wasn't important enough for you to wake me up about! Don't do it again. With that strict reprimand, Raistlin broke off our mental connection.  
  
The first few periods of the day passed without incident. Then, instead of gym, went with Maeg and Jess to Chorus. They asked me if I could sing, and I smiled slightly. All elves inherently have beautiful voices, and, outcast though I am, mine was no different. "A bit." I answered. We got to the Chorus room and the teacher, Mr. Esposito asked me the samee question. When I told him I could, he asked me to sing a few notes. When I did, he kept his face fairly neutral, though I could tell he was impressed.  
  
"Good. The tenor section is over there," he pointed. "I hope you sign up for chorus when you get your own schedule." Chorus was fun, and I decided I would sign up. It had been too long since I practiced singing. I had nearly forgotten how much I loved it.  
  
After school, we went over to Maeg's house. In her room, like Jess's, the most prominent feature were the bookcases. Hers were much neater than Jess's, possibly because she had two. We worked on our homework and then the girls agreed to teach me some American card games. First, though, there was something I had to look at. With Maeg's permission, I went over to her bookcase and looked for the 'DragonLance' series. They were placed very prominently on the second shelf in a long line. I started reading the backs, which I found contained summaries. I was astonished to discover what looked like accurate accounts of my Shalafi's childhood and young adulthood. As I went to pick up the next book, I stopped myself. It didn't seem wise to read the future. Then, at the end of the row, another title jumped out at me. Dalamar the Dark. I grabbed that one. It didn't say much on the back, except it was about my childhood. I idly wondered if it was accurate. Then, I sat down to a game of 'Go Fish'. Finally, my second day was over.  
  
AN: Well, hope you peoples liked this chapter. I do appreciate criticism, though I will respond with the same tone and manner it was given in. Please review!  
  
Megan: Thankees!  
  
Guan: Thanks! Yeah, I had fun coming up with that one.  
  
Jade Limil: To clear up your question, no. All they caught was the word "Silvanesti." Besides, Dally's statement was based on Tolkien's beautiful works, and never appeared in DL. Thanks for reviewing. 


	6. New Faces?

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know the drill. I don't own anything you recognize.  
  
**New Faces?  
**  
Again, I met Jess and Maeg in the morning because I hadn't yet learned the way to the school. From the look on Maeg's face, she was not a morning person. We drove to school, and talked with the girls from my lunch table.  
  
Then, it was time for Social Studies. As soon as I walked into the classroom, I felt like there was something different. Then, I realized, Mr. Clearlake's papers and posters were gone. I looked at Jess and Maeg, and they seemed every bit as puzzled as I was. Then, the bell rang, and a teacher glided in. She was definitely the most beautiful woman, elves included, that I'd ever seen, and gliding was the only appropriate word for her gate. She was tall and had slightly dark skin. Her hair was black and hung loose down her back. She was wearing a bright red dress with a slanted hem. The neckline could barely be called proper, even in this society, where it appeared to be the style to wear things low cut. However, on her, this dress enhanced natural beauty, didn't choke it.  
  
"Hello class." Her voice was deep and rich. "Your previous teacher has had a most unfortunate accident, so I will be your substitute for the rest of the year. My name is Ms. Virago. Jezebel Virago. Now, today, we will be studying a delightful portion of your world's history. It is called The Crusades." She proceeded to describe these bloody wars with a style that could only be expressed as sadistic, and I started to get a bad feeling about Ms. Jezebel Virago. I couldn't pinpoint what I was worried about, though, so I didn't say anything.  
  
Later that day was gym again. I brought 'swim-shorts', remembering the announcement last gym that we were going to be in the pool for the next few weeks. When I went out to the pool area, Maegith seemed excited. "I love swimming. In gym terms, it's one of the only things I'm good at." She smiled wryly. I quickly asked what they called their different strokes, because though I was a capable swimmer, I doubted we knew things called by the same names. I was correct, and happy to say I knew most of the things they taught here.  
  
Because of my crash course, I was able to easily pass the 'deep water test'. When I finished however, my heightened hearing picked up something disturbing. Jess and Maeg were talking, and Maeg had noticed something strange. "Is it just me and my goggles or something, or are Daniel's chest and ears shimmering?" Maeg was talking quietly enough so normal humans wouldn't hear her from where I was standing.  
  
I saw Jess look at me out of the corner of her eye. "You're right. I see it too! How weird is that?" I quickly turned away and fixed my horsetail so it discreetly covered my ears. I poured some more of my precious strength into the glamour on my chest, and then called Raistlin.  
  
_"Shalafi? I hope I'm not disturbing you, but it's kind of urgent."_ I waited until I heard his consent. _"I'm in the school swimming pool, and my Glamour is slipping!"_ I didn't wait for him to point out the obvious that my magic might be weakening. _"It seemed only to start after I got into this water. It hasn't fallen yet, but I'm nervous."  
_  
I could sense Raistlin getting a bit nervous now too._ "All right. I'll discreetly get a sample of the water to examine. Until I find something out, do what you can to hide it. Tell me if it doesn't get better when you get out."_ I fought my way through the rest of gym. I was getting a bit tired from all of the power I was using. Finally, it was over. As soon as I had rinsed and dried off, I could feel that I didn't need the extra power to shield my wounds. I was very relieved. I would have to be careful though. I wouldn't want to run into that anti-magic substance again.  
  
During lunch, the only thing talked about was the new Social Studies teacher. People had mixed feelings. She seemed to be knowledgeable, but I wasn't the only one who picked up her sadistic outlook on life. Then, while my tablemates were getting their lunch, (I'd brought mine – who knew what was in that slop they called food up at the front!) Catalina came over. She had fixed her hair up a little, and her makeup was heavier than it had been this morning. I sighed mentally. "Yes?"  
  
She tossed her hair. "Well, Daniel, I just wanted to apologize for being mean the other day." She flashed me a smile. "I was wondering if you'd like to come to the school dance with me tonight. It's a lot of fun!" She was holding herself so that her chest looked slightly bigger. I resisted the urge to give her a huge zit with magic. I wasn't going to sink to her level.  
  
"Oh, sorry." I smiled back. "I already have plans today. Maybe another time." I indicated that was the end of our conversation as I thought the end to my sentence. _When I turn into a White Robe and Elven politics are simple._ The rest of the day passed quickly.  
  
That afternoon, we went to Jess's house again. Then, I heard Raistlin in my mind. He sounded very tense. _"Dalamar. Excuse yourself from the ladies **now**. I have something important to tell you, and you will want to be alone. Go into the bathroom or something."_ I did as he commanded. I don't think I'd ever heard my Shalafi so nervous sounding.  
  
A/N: Well, sorry to all of my reviewers. Thank Meg, who gave me a wakeup call. I guess things got away from me a bit. Well, not to worry, I still have several chapters already written. Now, to my wonderful reviewers (By the way, if you don't normally read things addressed to other people, please do, one of my responses concerns everyone.):  
  
Jade: No problem, thanks for being a steady reviewer.  
  
Alien: Thank you. About the portrayal of Dally, I tend to see his nicer side more than most people, and I also believe he would see doing anything worse as immature. I do have my reasons. About Arnold – don't worry, that's going to develop a lot more in the coming chapters, so there'll be plenty of time for verbal bashing then. Glad you liked the chapter.  
  
Guan: Well, some things yes, some no. The classes were all based on mine last year, though I warped the curriculum a lot. High schoolers (at least in my school) don't own expensive sports cars, or vanity plates, that was just some wishful thinking on my part. Usually we don't go to the movies on school nights, though I do think if the friend I modeled Jess after lived next to me, we'd be at each other's houses constantly. Boys (at least those I know) don't go up to girls and invite them for 'rides', though I'm sure there are some out there. There is no Star Wars III yet, but most other stuff is fairly accurate. Hope that cleared everything up for you.  
  
Megan: Well, Raistlin is coming after just one more short chappie like this one. I promise I'll keep on top of updating this time.  
  
NightsStory: **(This everyone should read, by the way)** Well, now the truth comes out, and I must thank you for the very kind accusation. I take your advice into consideration, but I believe this is the best way. Here comes, the truth: this will be a Mary-Sue. Rational fanfic critic part of brain runs away, screaming If nothing else, it makes my ending a lot better. I will not be offended if you (or anyone else) stops reading because of this, it's your choice. If anyone chooses to flame with only the reason that I said it's a Mary-Sue, expect a flame back in my response section. Not that I believe that of you, NightsStory; as I said before, your criticism was very kindly worded, and for that, I thank you. 


	7. A Matter of Honor

**A Matter of Honor**  
  
The god Sargonnas stood before the rest of the pantheon of Krynn. His hard face was drawn and pained. "It was a matter of honor, you see. Betray the one you love, or betray the rest of your kin, as well as the people who need your guidance to survive? But I believe I have come to the only decision I can, in all honor, make." Kiri Jolith, patron of the Solamnic Knights, nodded his head in sympathy and agreement. For though he and Sargonnas were on opposite sides in terms of good and evil, both believed in a rigid code of honor dictating every action.  
  
Sargonnas looked appreciative and continued. "Well, it would appear that my darling consort has decided to leave her plans for conquering Krynn for now, while she goes to take over a world called Earth. It seems that Raistlin Majere and his apprentice opened a portal to that world, allowing Takhisis to pass through as well. I know what she would do to this world, were she to rule alone, and I can't desert another world to that fate. So I bring it before you, my kin, you immortally wise judges, to decide our course of action."  
  
With that, pandemonium broke out among the gods. All seemed to be talking at once. There appeared to be three major factions, neutrality voting to let Takhisis vent her power on the other world, good saying they should all go and bring Takhisis to heel using force if necessary, and evil saying they should go help Takhisis win more territory for the glory of the Old Gods. Then, all of a sudden, there was a blinding flash of white light.  
  
In the chaos, no one had noticed that the cousins of magic talking quietly amongst themselves. And apparently, they had come to a decision. Lunitari, made representative by her neutral status spoke in the sudden hush. "My cousins and I have come to find a solution that we believe is fair to all. It was our disciples Raistlin and Dalamar who caused the problem, so they will have the chance to fix it. Takhisis will be weaker on that plain, and between Raistlin, Dalamar, and a few Earth humans we will lend powers to, they should be able to defeat her. If not, then we will need another plan, but this will at least give us time to think and talk like the gods we are instead of bickering like children."  
  
Lunitari seemed to swell with majesty. "Tonight, myself and my cousins will visit Raistlin in his dreams. We will tell him what is required. He will not refuse. Dalamar is already on Earth. They will do our bidding." With that, in a flash of multicolored light, the three left the council, leaving no time for argument. However, it seemed to the other gods that the cousins had indeed come up with a fair solution. They slowly dissipated as well, leaving Sargonnas, shaking his head, alone. And in time, he too left, deciding that it was time to listen to the mortal affairs once more.

A/N: Well, sorry again for the short chapter, I needed a transition, and this was it. I do have the next written already, so at three reviews for this chapter, it will be posted. Also, to clarify, I came up with the plot before this became a Mary-Sue. I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for their continued support. I'm proud to say, (minus the spelling Nazi) that I haven't had a true flame yet! Thanks!  
  
Kenderling: Yeah, I don't know if the chlorine thing is true, but I had to put it in, because, well, I couldn't keep myself in the dark for the whole time! Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Guan: No problem. Thanks for the compliments about Jezebel. Did anyone pick up who she is before this chapter? I'm sure you peeps did – you're all smart!  
  
Jade: Absolutely right – gotta hate that chlorine! Yes, they'll find out next chapter. And thanks! I didn't know I was on anyone's alert list! I love reviews, so keep going! 


	8. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. No, I swear it wasn't me who tried to break into Margaret Weis' home yesterday...   
  
**Secrets Revealed  
**  
Dalamar walked back into Jess's room quite shaken. He knew he'd sensed something familiar about the new teacher. He and Maeg spoke in unison.  
  
"I need to tell you something."  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"Well, ladies first. What about?"  
  
Maeg looked apologetic. "Look, Daniel. We know you're not who you say you are. There are to many holes in your story. You don't have to tell us if it's too private, but others may suspect also. First, your white as a ghost, not tanned from a life in Africa." Dalamar started to make and excuse, but Maegith plowed on. "Second of all, your African language is a crock. Both Jess and I distinctly heard you say Silvanesti. And also, no one has heard of DragonLance, but not Tolkien or Harry Potter. Then, we both saw something weird about your skin when we were in the pool. And to top it all off, two days after you come, a sadistic beauty queen, who reminds me of no one so much as Takhisis, goddess of evil, takes the place of our Social Studies teacher. What is this!?" Maeg seemed exhausted by her sudden outburst, and Dalamar was shocked first by how much she'd noticed, and second by how much was true.  
  
He decided to tell these intelligent humans the whole truth, not some half lie as he'd been planning. "You're absolutely right. About everything. So it's everything I'll tell you, though it may be a bit hard to accept at first. Do you still want to know? Because you can't go back once you've heard."  
  
"God, this feels like the Matrix." Jess and Maeg traded looks that said more than words. "I'll take the red pill. Fire away." Though Dalamar was unfamiliar with the phraseology, he could see that meant they wanted to know.  
  
"All right, though you probably won't believe me at first. I suppose to start, I should properly introduce myself." Dalamar paused a moment, letting the tension build. Maeg wondered what country put people so young in the intelligence force. Just before one of the girls asked something impatient, Dalamar went on. "Dalamar the Dark, born Dalamar Argent of Silvanesti, at your service." He made a flourishing bow.  
  
Jess and Maeg's jaws both dropped, and then in unison then began to laugh. Dalamar motioned for them to watch, and then dropped his Glamours. His hair had been behind his ears, and his hands at his sides, so there could be no explanation of slight-of-hand. Before she realized what she was doing, Maeg stepped forward, hand raised, about to touch Dalamar's ear. She caught herself then, and lowered her hand, pretending to have simply wanted to push her hair back.  
  
Before she could say anything, Jess cut in. "Assuming you're telling the truth, and this isn't an elaborate hoax, why tell us?" She knew Maeg's obsession with elves, and specifically Dalamar would cloud her better judgment.  
  
"Well, that's what I needed to talk to you about. This is going to be hard for you to accept, but Maeg was completely correct. She said before that Miss Virago reminded her of the Dark Temptress. She was correct in her assessment. Jezebel Virago is Her Dark Majesty. My Shalafi and I have been commissioned to get her out of here, as it was our portal that created the problem in the first place. If you would be willing, the gods of magic have agreed to grant temporary powers to a few humans. I would like it if you would join us in the fight for your world."  
  
After this impassioned speech, Maeg and Jess could only stand mute, gaping. Then, Jess recovered, still (quite wisely) not trusting Maeg to talk. "We need some solid proof. How do we know that wasn't just some store-bought magical illusion?" Dalamar rolled his eyes. These humans wouldn't know magic if it hit them in the head!  
  
Dalamar grasped his shirt at the collar and ripped it open. Maeg and Jess then saw the bloody holes on his chest, exactly like five fingerprints, as described in the books. Dalamar motioned for the girls to come closer to see it wasn't a trick. This time, Maeg didn't stop herself from reaching out to touch his chest. She gently wiped away a steak of blood. "It's real!" She said in wonder. She stepped back and sank on to Jess's bed, the blood still on her fingers. "I'd always wished that this would happen ... but now I'm not sure I like it. I mean, who wants the Goddess of pure evil invading their world?" With that she was decided. "I'm in. How can I help you?"  
  
Jess nodded her agreement. "You said Raistlin is going to help?" Raistlin had always been her favorite character. "Does he need somewhere to enter this world? No one will notice if he comes through here! In case there are any loud noises involved in the transport, I'll put on some music."  
  
Maeg rolled her eyes. For the most part, she and Jess had quite different ideas of what made up music. However, when Jess showed her the CD, she was forced to admit it was appropriate. "The Soulforged" by Blind Guardian. The music to bring Raistlin into their world. Literally.  
  
"Shalafi, we're ready." Dalamar spoke aloud for the benefit of the two girls. At his words, a glowing doorway appeared in front of the mirrors on the closet. Then, as if appearing through the mirror, Raistlin faded into view through the portal. He walked through, apparently used to the side effects of world jumping enough that the booming sound and odd texture of the portal didn't affect him. He adjusted his black robes that looked exactly like the ones shown on the cover of Dragons of Spring Dawning.  
  
Maeg and Jess both leapt to their feet, unsure of how to greet the one who they knew was probably the most powerful mage in Krynn's history. Dalamar solved their problem for them. "Ladies, may I present my Shalafi – Raistlin Majere, Archmagus, Master of the Past and Present. Shalafi, Maegith Newkirk and Jess Salmalin." He glanced apologetically at the girls for lack of better titles.  
  
Jess managed to find her voice. "Honored to meet you, Sir." Her voice quavered at having just met her favorite book character in the flesh.  
  
Raistlin smiled. He was obviously in a good mood despite the turmoil of the morning, likely because of the Earthlings' awe. "The pleasure is mine," he rasped. He took Jess's offered hand as if to shake it but instead, gently brought it to his lips, his golden gaze never leaving Jess's brown one. He let go of her hand. "I would like to thank you for the use of your house. It would not be wise to draw attention to the house where my apprentice and I are staying." His voice was strained to be heard over the blasting heavy metal.  
  
Then, Dalamar realized that any noise from the magic would have already happened. "Uh, Jess, do you think you could turn that down? It's hurting my ears." Maeg nodded empathetically.  
  
"Sure, um... Dalamar. Sorry, I forgot about your Elven hearing." Jess tuned the song down slightly. Raistlin's attention was then drawn to the song and the lyrics astonished him.

"Each step I take  
  
May it hurt may it ache  
  
Leads me further  
  
Away from the past  
  
But as long as I breathe  
  
Each smile in my bleak face  
  
I'm on my way to find  
  
Back to the peace of mind  
  
And from the flames  
  
As chance would have it  
  
the soulforged will come into light  
  
And from the flames as chance would have it  
  
The soulforged,  
  
The stainless will rise  
  
I will never change my mind  
  
I will leave it all behind"  
  
Raistlin listened to the end of the chorus. By then he was sure. "Is that song about me?" He sounded shocked, but at the same time pleased and smug.  
  
"Yes." Jess said. "It's called "The Soulforged," by Blind Guardian. You're not as famous here as on your world, but there does exist a small group of fans. By the way, when are you from?"  
  
Maegith realized that whatever date they would say wouldn't do them much good, so she embellished. "Well, how long has Dalamar been your apprentice, Raistlin? Can I call you that?"  
  
Raistlin looked impressed that the Earthlings were so respectful. He'd grown up around so many taunts and it was a pleasant change. "Yes, you may both call me by my first name. And Dalamar has just recently become my apprentice."  
  
Maegith went on. "And, uh, Dalamar do you mind I use your first name as well?" She waited for his nod of ascent. "Well, ah, do you know Raistlin's sister yet?" He nodded, a slight blush staining his pale cheeks. "Raistlin, have you talked to any clerics lately?"  
  
Raistlin looked surprised. "Only Goldmoon, and that was months ago. Why?"  
  
Maegith thought for a moment. "Well, you'll meet one in the not too distant future and she'll be pivotal to your destiny. I don't want to reveal to much, because I know how disastrous meddling with time can be." She turned to Jess. "So, I guess they're from the beginning of Time of the Twins. All right."  
  
Then, Dalamar and Raistlin left for their house. Jess said to Maeg, "Pinch me, I'm dreaming." She contemplated for a moment. "Wait, don't. I don't want to wake up."  
  
Maeg looked at her. "Do you think it's really true? You know, about Takhisis invading and everything?"  
  
Jess thought for a minute. "Yes, I do. Why else would they come here and ask for our help?"  
  
Maeg snorted. "Well, that little obsession of Raistlin's, um, what is it called? Ah yes. World domination?"  
  
Jess looked shocked. "You don't think Raistlin actually practiced on this world before trying to take over Krynn, do you? That would be awful." She thought for another minute. "Do you think if we helped, they'd let us go to Krynn with them?"  
  
Maeg chuckled. "Well, it's worth asking, either way. Whether they're telling the truth about their purposes or not, that would be amazing. If they are telling the truth, we'll have to recruit our own army. Because I'm sure Takhisis will be doing that." The girls spent the rest of the night thinking of whom they could trust with Raistlin and Dalamar's true identity and mission.

A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked this chappie. I know I made Raistlin OOC, but it was necessary, and as I said, he was in a good mood. By the way, you reviewers rock! Three reviews, the day after I post! By the way, the next chapter may take longer to put up, as I've reached the end of the chapters written long ago. Sorry. )-:  
  
Guan: Thanks for reviewing so much!  
  
Jade: Ooh! Thanks - I never knew that! See, I'm just a wee bit computer challenged.  
  
Kenderling: Thanks for the glowing praise! And by the way, you can have my spelling Nazi. I'm not referring to a friend, but to the jerk who refused to read my story because there was a spelling error in my summary. He (or she) hasn't reviewed again since I fixed it. I didn't know until today that so many people had me on their alert list! Blushing I'm glad you find my work so enjoyable.  
  
Now, I have a bone to pick with those of you who have me on their alert list and have never reviewed. See, I've caught you now! Review, or I'll sic Tas on you when he's bored! So there! 


	9. Armies

Disclaimer: I own none of the DL characters. (Though I am trying to abduct Dally.)  
  
**Armies**  
  
The next morning, Raistlin and Dalamar emerged from their garage, Raistlin in a black Corvette like Jess's except with no flame markings. His license plate read 'evilone.' He was wearing black jeans and a tight black short sleeve shirt. His Glamour was much more elaborate than Dalamar's. His appearance looked much the way it did before his Test; shoulder-length auburn hair, blue eyes and pale skin. He also made himself a bit more muscular and less gaunt looking.  
  
Dalamar was still riding his motorcycle and was dressed in much the same way Raistlin was, but his dark wavy hair was pulled back in a horsetail, not falling free the way Raistlin's did. They met Maegith and Jess at school. With a bit of magic, Raistlin ensured that Dalamar's schedule would stay the way it had been, and that he would be following Jess's schedule. That way, none of them would be caught alone.  
  
While waiting for school to start, Jess saw Catalina and her cronies gesturing violently. Dalamar listened in, summarizing what they said. "They're saying it's not fair that so many new hot boys are here, and immediately joining the (no offense girls) 'geeks group.' They seem quite angry, and agree that you ladies must be seducing us, and keeping your usual behaviors hidden." Everyone got a laugh at that, as Maegith and Jess new more about Raistlin and Dalamar than they themselves did, and Raistlin and Dalamar found it easy to relate to people who knew so much about them.  
  
In first period, Raistlin sat down in the same row as Dalamar and their Earthling friends. Takhisis (Miss Virago), started to call the roll. She looked up and smiled softly when she hit Raistlin's name. "Majere, Raistlin." Raistlin nodded, not needing to let Takhisis know where he was. In his eyes was a silent challenge. At the sound of his name, a couple of people looked up, surprised. Raistlin looked around, taking in who would figure out the truth soon.  
  
Later on the list, for only the second time, Miss Virago looked up. "Silver, Daniel?" Her eyes met Dalamar's, boring into his soul, telling him she knew exactly who she was. He was powerless to look away. After a couple of seconds, Takhisis let him go as she went on with the roll.  
  
After she was done, Takhisis smiled. "Now, why don't I change some of the seating, to help me remember your names?" She smirked at Dalamar and Raistlin. When she was finished rearranging the room, Dalamar was sitting next to Catalina in one corner of the room. Raistlin was next to another of the popular girls, in the opposite corner. Maegith was banished to another corner, next to yet another stickly blond. Jess was in the last corner, next to the girl who had laughed at them in gym. Pitying looks were thrown around the room from both groups.  
  
"Now class," Takhisis snickered. "Why don't we have a little pop quiz? Just so I can see everyone's ability level." The way she said it, it obviously wasn't a question, and the Goddess of Evil started to hand out pieces of paper. To Dalamar and Raistlin's surprise, both Maeg and Jess groaned. When they saw the test, they echoed the girls thoughts exactly. However, most odd, when everyone in the 'cool' group saw the test, they sighed in relief. It was then that the mages realized that Takhisis was going to do her best to fail them, as well as anyone friendly with them.  
  
After a truly grueling test, the bell finally rang. Maeg and Jess met up with the Black Robes as they left the classroom. "That was horrible!" Jess was shocked. "History's one of my best subjects, too. Especially this time period!"  
  
Raistlin smiled cynically. "You forget, she's Takhisis, not just any substitute. Don't be surprised if you two fail the class this last month or two. Unless you wish to join up with her, and see your world become an empty shell of evil, and all of those you care about hurt or killed. If you want that, maybe you'll get to pass." The girls snickered with him, but were considerably upset at this.  
  
Maeg stopped at her locker, and as she turned back towards her first period class, she saw 'Miss Virago' talking with Catalina. "Uh, Dalamar?" She started to ask him to listen to the conversation, but he quieted her, leaning against the lockers in a casual fashion. He was already eavesdropping, and relayed their conversation.  
  
"Catalina," Takhisis crooned, "Come in for a minute. Don't worry, you won't be late." Catalina followed her in, and Dalamar shook his head in frustration. He couldn't hear through cinderblock walls. However, Raistlin had managed to get a locker only a meter or so away from the class, not three or four as Maeg's was. They went to his, all listening closely, though through the noise in the hall, Dalamar was still the only one able to hear anything much. He continued to relay the conversation.  
  
"Now, dear," The goddess's voice was honey-sweet. "I noticed you're a bit jealous of Maegith. Why is that?" She clicked her nails on the desk.  
  
"Why do you care? What could you do about it anyway?" Catalina's voice was sharp, almost bitter.  
  
"First, you'd do well to show me a bit more respect. My patience has limits. However, I shall answer you questions. Also, all shall be revealed in due time, and most importantly, I can do plenty – that's what I wanted to talk about. Now, answer my questions." Maeg and Jess practically felt the power of her gaze through the wall.  
  
Catalina apparently blanched as well, because she now answered without pause. "Well, we used to be friends. Then, she got geekier, and so I had to end that friendship to keep my social status up. Then, it seemed as though she always got what I wanted – better grades, and now even that new kid- Daniel. It's not fair. At least I'm still more popular." However, she didn't sound particularly comforted at that thought.  
  
"Oh, poor dear." It was hard to tell from sound alone whether Her Dark Majesty was being truly compassionate, or simply sarcastic. "Well, we may be able to do something about that." Dalamar's elven hearing barely picked up her whispered spell to make the doorway look as though no one was in the room.  
  
"You've read the DragonLance books, no?" Takhisis' tone was now conversational.  
  
"Um, just the Chronicles. They were pretty good. Why?"  
  
"Well, dear, what would you say if I told you they were true? You'd likely think me insane, and how did you so quaintly put it? Geeky? Like that little girl Maegith. But, what would you do if I showed you proof? Do you want to see something?"  
  
Takhisis didn't wait for Catalina to answer, and presumably changed her form to that of the five-headed dragon, judging by the soft shriek that was the next thing that Dalamar heard. Takhisis shifted back. "Believe now? I thought so."  
  
"Now, I have a proposition to make. I will grant you magic powers for a while, and you help me to take over this world. After that, you will be one of my viceroys, and Maegith will be your servant. You will also have any man you want. I will give you even more if you recruit the rest of your little group to help me." Dalamar told the girls and Raistlin that it sounded as if Takhisis was using her magical persuasion to help.  
  
"Well, I guess. Yeah. Alright." It did not take much persuasion to get Catalina to acquiesce. Dalamar, Raistlin, Jess, and Maeg looked at each other with identical expressions of dismay.  
  
Jess was horror struck. "They have one of the biggest cliques in the school! How will we ever get that many people?" They dashed into the English classroom, just before the bell rang.  
  
Unfortunately, there were no more seats near Dalamar and the girls, so Raistlin had to sit across the room. He made a face as he saw that the only open seat was next to Catalina. When he sat down, she passed him a note. 'Game's up, Majere. I know. However, I might join you with the correct ... persuasion.' She hand touching his leg made her intentions clear.  
  
Raistlin simply raised one disdainful eyebrow, and dropped the Glamour on his eyes for a second, allowing for the full intimidating effect of his eyes to take hold. He waved a hand, and his pen started writing an answer by itself. He'd found out that since the gods of magic held little sway here, magic worked differently here because it was enough to simply channel the power with the power of his mind. A mage of little power would still need spells, as would any mage doing anything complicated, but for small thing such as this, in this world, mental strength was enough.  
  
His reply was clear and disdainful. 'I know you know, and I would not align myself with one such as you, who will use only the base instincts of men as persuasion. I'm not interested.' Raistlin's pen finished it's phantom path as the teacher got to his name on the roll, and he raised his hand gracefully, as though nothing had just happened. Catalina didn't try to talk to him again for the rest of the class period.  
  
While walking to math, Raistlin told the others about Catalina's little trick. They all got a good laugh out of it. Her ignorance of Raistlin's personality made it even more hilarious, and they were still chuckling as they walked to math.  
  
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful up to chorus. At this point Dalamar looked at the girls, unsure of what to say to his Shalafi. To his relief, he could see that the girls were thinking the same thing. They looked at him as if to say 'You know him best! You say it.'  
  
Dalamar returned the look, clearly thinking 'As if I'd say anything! I have enough wounds, thank you very much!'  
  
The girls looked at each other, Jess's look saying 'You're the peace- maker!' and Maeg's showing 'Yeah, but he's your favorite character!' Finally, it was Jess who spoke. "Um, Raistlin, we have chorus next." At his raised eyebrow, she went on. "Um, no offense meant, but will you be able to sing? With that cough and all?" She winced as soon as the words left her mouth, obviously wishing she weren't the one left with the task of asking.  
  
However, Raistlin merely shrugged. "Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. I'm able to sing softly without hurting my throat." His statement proved true, and his singing voice might even be called pleasant. He ended up in the tenor section with Dalamar, and admiring glances at both young men's voices were thrown around the room.  
  
Later that day was lunch, and with the consent of Dalamar and Raistlin, the girls were going to tell their table the truth. The girls sat down, nudging their friends to make room for the mages. "Guys, I'd like to introduce you to Raistlin Majere." At that, Rebecca smiled.  
  
"Yeah, yeah Maeg. What's his real name?" She and the others rolled their eyes.  
  
Maeg took a deep breath, and Jess got up to stand at the end of the table, casually blocking the mages from the sight of the other tables. "Um, girls, we have something to tell you. See, that really is Raistlin, and Daniel, that's not his real name. He's actually Dalamar."  
  
At this statement, Joan and Maria traded glances, and Rebecca smiled indulgently. She was obviously the only one of the group who'd read the DragonLance books. "You found a kindred soul then? Come on, tell us his real name." She was obviously loosing patience for the short human.  
  
At this point, Raistlin took over. "She speaks the truth." After a period of chorus, his voice had its famous rasping quality. Rebecca didn't seem impressed, and just raised an eyebrow. Raistlin sighed at the earthling's skepticism, and he dropped the Glamour on front of his body. Jess' positioning was useful in making sure that no others would see.  
  
At the shock that shone on each girl's face, Raistlin nudged Dalamar, who muttered a spell under his breath. Suddenly, the table seemed to get quieter. Maeg then realized that they were enclosed in a sound bubble. She surmised that someone trying to listen to their conversation would hear ordinary talk, about things such as school and the movies. Raistlin smiled, slightly cynical. "Now, we can talk freely."  
  
"As you can see, I am the Archmagus, Raistlin Majere – Master of the Past and Present, likely most powerful magic user on Krynn. This is my apprentice, Dalamar Nightson, formerly of the Silvanesti forest." At his introduction, Dalamar dropped his Glamour as well, and his finely pointed ears were visible through his thick, dark hair.  
  
For a minute, both mages were silent, allowing the young women to absorb the fact that true magic had just been performed in front of their eyes. Then, Raistlin spoke once more, his voice sardonic. "Any other doubts?" At the unsure looks traded, and Rebecca's frantic negating gesture, he smiled slightly and continued. "Good. Now, Maeg and Jess have informed me that you are all trustworthy and dependable. I'm sorry to be the first to inform you, but my apprentice and I had been experimenting with portals, and this allowed the Goddess of Evil from our world to enter your plane of existence after us. I have been asked – rather, forced – by the gods of magic to help rid your world of her, and have permission to gather an army for my purposes. It would be only to your own benefit if you join, though you do not have to. If you do, you will be granted temporary magical powers, with the condition that you must fight with them if you accept." He looked at Maeg, who nodded. "If you wish to join us, be at Maeg's mouse after school."  
  
Raistlin started coughing violently after such a long speech, and as per usual, there was nothing to be done to help it. Once he recovered, Raistlin lifted his Glamour once more, and indicated to Dalamar that he should do the same. After that, the bubble of sound surrounding them dissipated. "One other thing." Dalamar spoke this time. "Please refrain from speaking about this until you're at Maeg's house, or at least out of school, where She has some power to listen."  
  
However, the warning was unnecessary, as only shocked silence greeted the completion of the mages' speech. Jess smiled slightly at the dazed expressions on her tablemates' faces, and sat back down. Surprised though they were, their curiosity had been ignited, and as one, they spoke. "I'll come." Maeg smiled. "It's settled, then."

**A/N**: First, I just wanted to say, in Catalina's little rant about Maeg, I was not trying to compliment myself – I've actually tried to divorce myself from my Mary-Sue, except that when she speaks, it's what I would say, and what'll happen to her is what I'd like happening to me. So anyway, I hope no one took that as being self-centered. Now, to my wonderful, supportive reviewers:  
  
Jade: Lets say this: it's a self-proclaimed Mary-Sue, but except for the fact that it takes place in a two or so month period that shouldn't exist on the DL timeline, it is not an alternate universe. Hope that answered your question without giving too much away.  
  
Guan: No problem, and I'm sure your story is very interesting, the only reason I haven't read it is I've never heard of the book/TV show you've based it on.  
  
Alien21xx: Thank you! Truth to be told, I was worried that once I came out about it, I'd get a flood of flames as my friend Rivin did in hers. LOL about the Disney thing. About Raist, hopefully he'll get in a bad mood soon, and I'm glad you think I did that well. Hmm, about your other review – thanks for going back! That's nice of you. I'm glad you liked my little interlude, and I'll take your suggestion into consideration. Maybe I'll have Raist tell us a bit about it, or if I'm ambitious, I'll re-write that chapter. Thank you for your logical imput.  
  
Meg: Thank YOU for reviewing. Bad news – now that I've done my (relatively unhelpful) research on the Elven castes, I believe I'm going to work on Shades of Grey a bit, but you never know.  
  
Umi Mikazuki: Thank you. D'you know how much of a pain it is to type your pseudonym? Just kidding – anything for a reviewer.  
  
Childlike Empress: Thank you for giving a lovely review! I'm very glad you enjoy my style. Love your name, by the way. 


	10. Preparing For Battle

**Disclaimer**: As you know, nothing you recognize from outside my story is mine. That includes the similarity to a piece of paper and an event in one of the Harry Potter books, so don't sue me. Also, the name Lenny was stolen from Of Mice and Men, though the character it belongs to is not mentally disabled in any way. Just a note – there is a reference to God in the story. It is not meant to offend anyone or their beliefs. It is close to mine, and what I think the Krynnish gods' take would be.  
  
**Preparing for Battle**  
  
About half an hour after school ended, a group of people arrived at Maeg's house. With a slight bow, she led them up to her bright turquoise room, which had been turned into a conference room. Her desk had been cleared of everything except the computer and moved to the center of the room. There were chairs crowded around it on each side, except where the bed could be used as a seat. The DragonLance books were taken off of their place of honor on the bookshelf so they could be used as references. There was a stack of paper and pens on the desk, next to which was a pile of assorted flavors of gum. Raistlin and Dalamar were already seated, and Raistlin had a steaming mug of his odd-smelling tea in front of him.  
  
When everyone sat down, the mages were pleased to see that everyone who'd been at the lunch table had joined them. However, one chair was empty. Dalamar looked at Maeg questioningly. She smiled mysteriously, and then the doorbell rang once more.  
  
Maeg and Jess ran downstairs to the door to see who was there, and the other earthlings looked around, a bit disconcerted by the presence of two men from another world. When Maeg and Jess came back, they had a very tall boy in tow. It was quite comical seeing them – the boy neared six foot, while Maeg was just shy of five foot, and Jess was only a couple inches taller. "Everyone, this is Everett. We called him last night. He's read the books, and is very interested in helping."  
  
Everett shook hands around the table, and looked amazed to meet the mages from Krynn. He took his seat as well. Raistlin was about to reiterate what he'd said at lunch in a bit more detail when the doorbell rang again.  
  
This time, even Maeg and Jess looked puzzled, and only Maeg went down. A minute later, the new 'army' heard a very irate Maeg yelling. "Who told you? No one was supposed to know!"  
  
Another voice carried up the stairs. "Aww, c'mon Maeg. I want to help."  
  
Though only Dalamar could actually hear it, everyone could sense that Maeg sighed. "Fine Lenny. Come on up to my room. Bring that chair with you." When they reached the room, it was evident why Maeg didn't take the chair herself. The newcomer, Lenny was as tall as Tim, and built pretty much like an out of shape Caramon. Much better for hauling furniture around than the petite Maeg.  
  
Maeg looked around as a few people moved to make room for Lenny. "Guys, this is Lenny. May I ask who told him? It's not that I'm not glad he's here, but I know that this will be dangerous, and I don't want anyone to get hurt if his or her heart isn't dedicated to this cause. That's really why everyone had to come today. I want to be sure that everyone knows what he or she is committing to."  
  
Looks were thrown around the table. Finally, Maria blushed. "I did. I knew he'd want to help! Anyway," She looked around at the table, taking in all of the fairly small girls, the thin-boned elf, and the even thinner Raistlin. "Without knowing about Everett, I figured if we're building an army, we'll need brawn to go with the brains." She blushed an even shade of red.  
  
At this, Lenny smiled good-naturedly. "Yeah, and we all know I'm never going to be the brains of the group. Sure, I get good grades, but I always am wrong when She's around." He gestured to Sam, who blushed, laughing.  
  
"It's not my fault you never listen!" Obviously, this was a long-standing joke between the two.  
  
"See, wrong again!" With a jovial shake of the head, Lenny took his seat. At this point, Raistlin took over.  
  
"Now, first, I need to know, who has read the books they call 'DragonLance'?" Of the people around the table, Maria, Joan, and Lenny had not. Jess, Maeg, Rebecca, and Everett had. Raistlin, who, with Dalamar, had dropped his Glamour so as not to waste strength, nodded. There was no way to tell how he felt about that.  
  
"Fine. Then, I should introduce myself. I am Raistlin Majere, Archmagus, Master of the Past and Present. This is my apprentice, Dalamar Nightson, formerly of the forest of Silvanesti. Yes, he_ is_ a true elf, and we _can_ really do magic. We come from the planet of Krynn." He sounded slightly bored.  
  
"Now, we are here because following an experiment having to do with magical portals, my apprentice was followed into your world by the Goddess of Evil. I was then forced to come as well, to help fight her. It is very likely that she will try to take over the world, and though no one is sure what the outcome will be, there have been speculations, and none of them are very nice.  
  
"Before I came through, the gods of magic, Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari came to me while I slept. Though I don't usually share dreams, as they are the true window to the soul, this one is pertinent to us all, so I shall describe it to you."...  
  
... Three days after Dalamar had successfully gone through the Portal, Raistlin prepared for bed. He was happy with the intelligence that his apprentice was receiving, and was contemplating joining him soon. He had plans to set in motion that involved taking over the world. He figured that the best place to start gaining followers was in a high school, because it was that generation that would be holding the most power soon. He sighed happily at his plans of world domination and lay down to go to sleep.  
  
Sleep took him almost immediately, and it wasn't long after that that he was in a dream. Raistlin's dream was fairly chaotic, but it seemed to be centered around conquering the new world. After what was likely only a few minutes, but felt like several hours, Raistlin cast a spell similar to the one that had opened the portal, and there was a flash of multicolored light. Raistlin had to close his dream eyes to block out the intensity of the light, fantasy though it was.  
  
When Raistlin opened his eyes, he was back on Krynn in his workroom. He was also faced by the gods of magic. Slowly, they came into focus. Solinari, in robes of purest white, had a stern but handsome face, framed in gold hair. Lunitari appeared as a supernaturally beautiful human woman in robes the color of fresh-spilt blood. Nuitari was a shadow, barely visible in the gloom of the room, save for his pale, pockmarked face.  
  
Lunitari stepped forward, once more the spokeswoman. Feeling detached from his body, and even his dream self, Raistlin idly wondered if it was because of her neutral status, or if Lunitari was the representative because she knew that despite Raistlin's personality was better suited to serving her dark cousin, his soul would remain hers.  
  
Raistlin's reverie was broken when the goddess spoke. "Raistlin Majere, are you listening?" Her voice was strict, but to one who knew her, it was evident she was teasing him.  
  
Though Raistlin knew this, his answer was as reverent as it would have been had he not known. "Of course, my Lords, my Lady." His voice held none of its usual cynicism or bite.  
  
Lunitari smiled. "You must go to Earth, Raistlin Majere. But not to take it over. If you attempt that, there will be serious repercussions." She paused to let him take that in.  
  
"But my Lady!"  
  
The goddess cut him off. "No, Raistlin. We do not ask you to be idle, however. Because of your folly in creating a portal, Takhisis was able to leave her plane of existence to travel to theirs. Unlike our world, their Superior Being chooses not to interfere in the lives of mortals. This means that it is likely that Takhisis could take over their world with little resistance. You know nearly as well as we do what could happen to a world that has no Good and Neutrality to balance the Evil.  
  
"Thus, we have spoken to our immortal kin, and come to a decision. You are to go to Earth, and with the help of your apprentice, and a small army of humans, you will force Takhisis to go back to the Abyssal Plane whence she came. We will give you and all those who help you strength to fight. You never know, this may be good practice for you."  
  
With those cryptic words and a wink, she and her cousins each waved a hand in the air gracefully, and in a flash of light that shrank to a line and then disappeared, they were gone. If Raistlin dreamed more that night, he did not remember about what. When he woke the next morning, he knew what was required, and started to prepare for his own journey through the portal...  
  
..."And so, I am here, to help you keep your world in one piece, not learning new spells, which I must say, is likely a much better use of my time." With that biting remark, he finished speaking, and immediately succumbed to one of his famous coughing attacks.  
  
Raistlin tried to take a sip of his tea, but, not only was there very little left, but his hand was shaking so badly from the intensity of the attack that he could not raise the cup to his lips. Unnoticed in everyone's panic, Maeg nudged Jess and handed her something under the table. Jess looked down at it, and handed it to Raistlin.  
  
"Here. Suck on this. It may help. It's called a cough drop. I've personally never been able to stand the taste, but Maeg swears by them. I don't know what it would do for your cough, though."  
  
Still barely able to breath, but having regained control of his muscles, Raistlin snatched the Ricola, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. He didn't even wince at the odd taste, and miraculously, his ragged breathing got easier. "Thank you," he rasped as soon as he was able to speak. "Somehow, this does help."  
  
Dalamar decided to allow his Shalafi's throat to rest, and he took over. "So, now you know why we have come, and why you have been gathered. If anyone wishes to leave, this is the time to do it. This war is not a game, and it is possible that people will lose their lives. To those of you who know of my Shalafi and me, you know that it is very unlikely that we would sacrifice ourselves to save any of you. Nothing you have heard so far is secret, or at least none will stay a secret for very long, no matter what you do. If you stay now, however, we will likely not permit you to back out later." His eyes flashed menacingly.  
  
"If you're staying, please sign the paper we will give you. It will insure that we are not betrayed by anyone in this room." Dalamar stopped talking when he saw Raistlin wished to say something else.  
  
"This is true. My apprentice and I have enchanted it, and if anyone chooses to betray anything secret to anyone outside of this group, you'll find yourself in a painful situation. I have little tolerance for traitors." At this, Dalamar involuntarily put his hand over his chest, where his Shalafi's punishment still burned in his flesh. Raistlin smiled slightly, sinister pleasure written on every feature. "Talk to my apprentice if you have any questions about the penalty for treachery." His voice was slightly wry.  
  
Raistlin surveyed the room. Maeg looked sick at the thought of what had happened to Dalamar. Jess seemed fairly neutral, still in awe that her favorite book character was here, in the flesh, talking to her. Everett looked pensive, and Raistlin could tell that he was debating the pros and cons of the situation. He was reminded strongly of Tanis. Looking at Lenny was like looking at his twin brother – Raistlin could tell that the big teen was processing the information still, analyzing slowly before coming to any conclusions. Rebecca seemed determined, as though she'd already made her decision. Maria and Joan were both a bit puzzled about all of the things they'd never heard of, much less dreamed were real.  
  
Finally, Dalamar looked at Raistlin, who nodded. He took a piece of blank paper from his jeans pocket. "Now, please sign this if you wish to stay. As we've said, you may leave now if you wish." No one left the room. Dalamar passed the paper around, and everyone signed it.  
  
After everyone was finished, Maeg stood up. "Since today was Friday, I was thinking that our next meeting could be tomorrow, at the mall. It's crowded enough to be inconspicuous, and too crowded for anyone to hear what others are talking about." Nods went around the table. "All right then, eleven o'clock, at the mall."

**A/N**: Thanks, as usual to all of my wonderful reviewers, who do help keep me inspired. See this chapter for evidence that I actually listen to you people. Also, to head off questions. There is nothing between Maeg and Lenny. He's based on one of my friends, and we really have said stuff like that to each other, but there is nothing romantic there. Got it? Now, to answer everyone.  
  
Gcho: Thanks. How come you didn't read past three?  
  
Alien21xx: I don't mind in the least. I'm glad you found the mental picture of Raisty as hilarious as I did. The scene with Catalina (at least in terms of his reactions) did get much of its inspiration from the scene with Crysania. I'm sorry if I seem to be moving quickly, I'll try to slow myself down. Thank you VERY much for your glowing praise, and be assured that it was part of what got me to update this before writing another chapter in something else. Also, never think your comments aren't considered – I'd likely wouldn't have put in the scene with Raistlin and the gods if you hadn't requested it.  
  
ChildlikeEmpress: I'm glad you've found it so easy to identify with my characters.** I s'pose I should tell everyone now, because nearly everyone has asked at some point or other about the romance in this story. Yes, it is going to be Dally/Maeg, and Raist/Jess, but their lives are not going to change for it. (sadly) This story, though it takes place in a fictional place in time, is going to be written so that it could have happened in the normal timeline.  
**  
Kenderling: Thanks. About the mages' love lives, look at my response to ChildlikeEmpress. About the ages – glad you asked, because I do have an answer. To start off, some background. When this takes place, Raistlin is in his early twenties. Dalamar is somewhere around one hundred, which means he's at an equivalent age to a 25 or so human. All of the Earthlings are between 17 and eighteen. The mages still look fairly young, partly because of lack of facial hair. Their Glamours do erase any lines worn in from care, stress, etc. Glad you asked. About the scene with Catalina – I did think of doing something like that, but I thought that Raistlin would find that petty and childish, so it would be a bit OOC. Something satisfying may happen like that at the end, though. I'm glad you understand my thing with taking character's names, 'cause a lot of my friends just don't get it. I did enjoy writing that scene very much.  
  
Guan: Thanks for the review! Glad you found that funny.  
  
Jade Limill: Yeah, I've made him too much of a burst of sunshine, haven't I? Well, I'll try, but no guarantees. I did attempt to make him in a worse mood this chapter, honest I did!   
  
Again, too all I thank you, and I encourage you to push the little review button at the bottom. Painless for you, great for me. Criticism is welcome, and will be taken into account. 


	11. Magic: The Gathering

**Disclaimer:** I own no one you recognize from outside of this story, including the title.

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long. This was a real horror to right after the first couple of pages. Anyway, hopefully Raistlin's bad mood will please you, and don't worry, there'll be even more in the next chapter. We swears it on the Precious... Anyway, hope this doesn't bore you too much.

**Magic – The Gathering**

Maeg and Jess went by the mages house at eight thirty the next morning, and were greeted by an odd sight. Dalamar was lying in the cleft of one of the huge willow trees in his front lawn. He'd apparently slept there, as he was clutching a blanket and pillow, and was covered from head to toe in dew.

Maeg and Jess parked their car (they were in Maeg's that day) and for a while, could only stand motionless, shocked. Then, Dalamar woke up, likely from the noise of the cars. He stretched and yawned. "'Morning! How are you ladies today?"

Maeg recovered from her shock and spoke. "Um, Dalamar? How come you were sleeping in a tree?"

He looked around, as though he'd forgotten where he was. "Oh, this." He smiled, rather sheepishly, as he vaulted down lightly as only a true elf can do. "Last night, I'd been trying to play the 'CDs' that Maeg lent me on my ... my rodeo?"

Maeg smiled as well. Sometimes, she could almost forget that Dalamar wasn't truly an American teen, but other times, she was reminded of his true heritage rather abruptly. "Radio. It's called a radio." She shook her head in amusement.

Dalamar picked up his story again. "Yes, on my radio. Anyway, it was fairly late, and my Shalafi had closed the door so he could sleep. I however, need less sleep then he, and was in my room, attempting to figure out that device. At midnight or so, I finally had gotten the CD into the radio, and even got it to play, and then I hit the volume control. It turned up really loud, but I couldn't figure out what I'd hit. Apparently, I woke my Shalafi, because the next thing I knew, the radio was off, and I was up here with this blanket and pillow. I think, though, this was one of his better punishments. Between my banishment and that awful Grove, it's been ages since I've had the option to sleep in a tree, and it was a refreshing change. I guess I'd better face his temper now, though, because I'm soaked!"

By the end of this narrative, both Maeg and Jess were laughing hysterically. "Yeah, technology doesn't like me either. Maybe we should come with you," Maeg offered, though she too was daunted by the famous temper of the archmagus.

Dalamar nodded his acceptance, obviously relieved. He led the two girls up his driveway, in through the garage door. When he saw his Shalafi at the breakfast table, Dalamar noticeably paled, but sensing the girls' strangely reassuring presence behind him, he walked in. "Shalafi?" His voice was soft. "I trust you had a good night's rest?"

Raistlin looked at his apprentice, annoyed. "After _someone_ decided to stop making noises, yes." His voice was acidic, though soft enough to be considered a whisper.

Dalamar blushed. "I'm sorry. I couldn't figure out how to turn the radio off. It will not happen again." He suddenly seemed to find something very interesting about the way his shoes looked.

"I'm sure it won't happen, because even you're not dimwitted enough to try to play it again in the darkness until you know how to use it. Now, clean up these dishes." Raistlin's voice was impatient, as though he was annoyed that he had to utter the command to begin with.

As Dalamar hurried to get the aforementioned dishes, Maeg got a disgusted look. "That's horrible! He's your apprentice, not your slave!" She ignored Dalamar's furious gestures trying to silence her. "And especially in this time period – putting plates and mugs into the dishwasher is not that hard! I imagine you could even magic them there if you wished. Well, just because you're lazy doesn't mean we all are. I'll help." She rushed to relieve Dalamar of some of the dirty dishes, and showed him how to use the dishwasher, which he'd obviously overlooked.

During Maeg's tirade, Jess was getting redder and redder. Now, she went over to Raistlin, who appeared to be in shock that anyone would dare scold him about anything. She pulled a metal cylinder out from behind her back, and thrust it in front of the mage. She was obviously very embarrassed.

"Here," She muttered, red as a beet. "It's a thermos, for your tea. It keeps things hot. You might need it for later today, so you can have tea while we talk in the mall."

Raistlin took it, and as soon as he did, Jess moved back as if stung. Raistlin's hard eyes softened for a moment in amusement. "Is this a peace offering to make up for your outspoken friend?" A hint of a smile touched his thin lips.

Jess got even redder then before, if such a thing were possible. "No, just thought you might want it." Her voice was barely audible.

A glint of laughter touched Raistlin's eyes at the sight of Jess' discomfort. "If that's the case, then I thank you. It should prove to be quite useful. Are you ready to leave yet, apprentice?"

Now even more subdued, Dalamar murmured "Yes, Shalafi." It appeared that he too possessed enough magical strength to perform spells without words or components on this world, because with a wave of his hand, his dew-soaked clothes were instantaneously replaced with clean, dry ones. Then, he took the thermos, filled it with what water was left in the pot, and put herbs in to steep. That finished, he rushed to get the door. Raistlin was the only one not to thank him for holding it.

After a few minute drive, they were at the mall. They met up with the rest of their 'army' in front of the movie theater, and started walking around aimlessly. After a minute of idle chatter, Raistlin spoke.

"Likely, we won't have much time, so it will be best to begin right away. Now, as I'd mentioned before, you will be able to tap into the magic of Krynn, and if anyone wishes (foolishly in my opinion) they will be granted knowledge of physical fighting instead. I believe I should start today by teaching you how to tap into the magic, and if you're quick to pick it up, I may teach you a simple spell or two about mind control, and resisting it. Before we start, is there anyone who would prefer knowledge of fighting?"

The only one to want that was Lenny. Raistlin nodded. It was no more than he'd suspected. "You'll have to just listen for now. When we leave here to practice spells, you may go into a different room, where you will by contacted by Kiri-Jolith and Sargonnas, the two Krynnish gods most talented at warcraft. You will have access to weapons, and they shall teach you.

"As for the rest of you, the way you will perform the spells will depend upon how much natural affinity you have for magic. Unlike people on Krynn, everyone who wishes it here will be able to perform magic, but it will be easier for some than others. Most will need spell words, and possibly components. It is possible that some of you will be strong enough to do without on this world, as my apprentice and myself are."

As Raistlin's voice was getting softer with each word, Dalamar took over the first lesson and allowed his Shalafi to drink some of his tea. "For those of you who don't know, there are three gods of magic on Krynn. "Solinari, patron of Good magic, Lunitari of Neutrality, and Nuitari, who represents Evil magic. Both my Master and I are dedicated to Dark Nuitari. We, as well as the gods, will not require you to choose where your allegiance lies. For one thing, in this war, we are all against the Queen of Darkness, Takhisis. Another benefit is that you may be stronger with the power of the three combined; we're not sure because its never been tried. Also, we wouldn't ask you to forsake your own religions in order to worship our gods.

"Despite this, you will still get your power from the Cousins of magic or they will at least be a channel. We're not sure if magic truly doesn't exist on this planet, or if it is simply not harnessed or focused. My Shalafi and I both believe that it would be best if we began to teach you to use magic in the house we've bought here, so the Dark Queen's wrath doesn't fall to heavily upon you. You should come to our house in small groups – not all at once, but never alone either. We live across the street from Maeg and Jess. Any questions?"

After this, all of the earthlings, with the possible exceptions of Jess and Maeg, looked fairly terrified. Wouldn't you be after having agreed to fight a mostly magical war against a Goddess of pure Evil? They all shook their heads, saying that no, they had no questions.

"Good then. My master, Maeg, Jess, and myself will go in the first group. Wait at least fifteen minutes in between groups to leave." With that, Raistlin started to walk away, his apprentice following closely behind. Maeg and Jess followed seconds later with an apologetic shrug to the rest of the group. They left the mall and drove swiftly to the Krynnish mages' house.

Once there, Raistlin spoke. "We should move all of the furniture out of this room, and the next one so that we, and Lenny have a place to practice. I suppose we should put some cushions in this room, because while learning to tap into one's magic, one should be comfortable, though not too comfortable."

Dalamar rushed to do his Shalafi's bidding, Jess close behind. Maegith went to help, after shooting a death glare at Raistlin, who she knew meant 'we' in the sense of 'you do, I watch'. Once again, Raistlin was amazed that anyone would stand up to him. However, he refrained from any sort of comment, save a raised eyebrow, saying clearly 'and what are you going to do about it?' as words would not do nearly as well.

Seeing that Dalamar was struggling with the large armchair in front of the fireplace in the first room, Maeg hurried to take the other side. As they lifted the chair and carried it towards the library/music room, Dalamar spoke quietly so as not to attract his Shalafi's attention. "Don't do that again. You won't like what will happen."

It was Maeg's turn to raise an eyebrow, and she spoke back in the same whisper. "Do what?" Her voice was every bit as innocent as a kender caught stealing.

Dalamar rolled his eyes, laughing internally. "Berating my Master. It is, well, unwise to say the least."

Maeg grinned at the dark elf's discomfort. "As Tanis would say, 'not conducive to good health?'" Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Seriously, Dalamar. If I don't stand up to him, who will? We're all in this together, which means to me that we can't have someone be lording over the rest of us. And admit it," her eyes betrayed amusement once more. "You needed the help for this chair."

Dalamar couldn't help but smile, though his eyes stayed serious. "I doubt he'd hurt you or Jess directly, but I wouldn't put it past him to hurt you through me, and make an example out of me. So don't think I'm warning you for your interest only."

They put the chair down in an empty corner of the room, and started to walk back. Maeg's face had gotten a worried look. "Would he really? I hadn't even thought about that! I'm so sorry!"

Dalamar put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure for now it is fine. Just make sure you're cautious in the future. He's used to total obedience, and is not pleased when he doesn't get it." Unconsciously, his hand moved to his chest where his Shalafi's mark still bled freely.

Dalamar and Maeg continued to clear the room of furnishings while Jess went around the house to find cushions for the group to sit on. As Maeg had predicted, Raistlin stood motionless, overseeing the other's labors. This time, her glare was hidden carefully behind her hair.

They had just finished moving everything when the doorbell rang. On instinct, Dalamar hurried to get it, allowing in Maria and Lenny. Several minutes later, Everett, Joan, and Rebecca entered. All five of the newcomers looked around as if expecting to see a demon pop out of a corner, or an eyeball floating in midair. If they'd been to the mages' real home, they wouldn't have been far off. However, in this newer house, the mages had only the essentials, which left out the Live Ones, spectres, and all other magical creatures.

Once they were all assembled in what had been the living room, Raistlin spoke. "My apprentice and myself shall now begin to teach you some basics of magic on this world. Lenny, if you could go into the next room, I will inform the gods that you are ready for training."

Lenny went into the room next door, and Raistlin concentrated as hard as he could on Nuitari. As he 'heard' the god recognize him, he thought about Lenny in the next room, telling the god of dark magic to notify the gods of warcraft. He felt Nuitari's familiar presence leave, and he knew that Lenny would forget all doubts in minutes.

"Now, we shall begin. Everyone take a seat, and get into a comfortable position. Don't get too comfortable however. It will not do to have anyone falling asleep whilst I teach." The teens sat down, still cowed by Raistlin's authoritative presence and the fact that things they'd been brought up to believe didn't exist were truth, and dangerous truth. The mages sat next to each other on the highest cushions. On the other side of Raistlin sat Jess, and Maeg was next to Dalamar. Rebecca took a place next to Maeg, and then sat Maria and Joan. Between Joan and Jess was Everett.

"Good." Raistlin nodded, and took a sip from his refilled thermos. "To begin with, I should teach you to breath so that you become more in tune with your body and it's uses. Some might call this meditation. Now, breath in slowly," He paused, and heard everyone breathe in as he'd commanded. He nodded in satisfaction, and continued. "Now, breath out just as slowly. Let peaceful thoughts fill your mind. Think of the things that are most soothing to you." He continued to speak, harsh voice oddly mesmerizing. Slowly, he own voice died out as he went into the trance as well.

As he sunk deeper into his trance, Raistlin sent out mental tendrils looking for magic. As he'd expected, the people on this planet had it inside them the whole time, and just hadn't known how to look. That chore out of the way, he brought himself back to full consciousness.

"Now." His voice, now sharp once more, brought everyone out of their reverie. "Since you were all able to enter the trance on the first try, you will now try to access your magic. Whilst in the trance, keep a strong hold on your consciousness. This will get easier in time, but while you are learning this, if you lose your sense of self without someone experienced to call you back, you will likely be in a vegetative state for the rest of your life, trapped in your own mind."

"However, do not worry, as both my apprentice and myself have the power to bring all of you back by force if need be. We'd rather not, though, as it's a waste of time and energy. So, while you relax, keep your identity firmly in your mind. Once you feel the trance completely take hold, reach out with your mind.

"Within each one of you, there is a 'well' of magic, if you'll excuse the metaphor. The size will vary depending on the person, but to some degree, it exists in all. This is partly because the gods of magic from Krynn have given you some of their power. Once you've found your power, try to mentally grab a strand of it. Then, return to consciousness. All that this entails is concentration. Once you're all conscious again, we shall see what you can do with that power."

"Now, begin once more." Raistlin took up his soothing litany again, and again everyone seemed to fall into their trances without much trouble. He was pleased at how quickly they learned. When he saw that they all seemed to be safely entranced, Raistlin quickly went into his own trance and pulled out the thread of magic that was inside of him. _Odd_, he thought, as he regained consciousness. _I must've gone into a trance hundreds of times before to increase my concentration, but this magic was never here. I wonder if it could be simply being on this world, or the intervention of the gods. That'll be something to study later on._

Raistlin broke off his musings as he regained consciousness and awaited the others. Dalamar was already fully awake, as he'd begun his trance with the other students. With a nod to his apprentice silently commanding him to do the same, Raistlin used a touch of his magic to probe each of the earthlings to be sure that none got stuck in their trances.

Suddenly, he felt the slight nuance of someone coming out of the trance state. He 'looked' around quickly, and identified it as Jess. He smiled, as he'd thought that she would likely have the most affinity for magic, and right after her, Maeg. This was likely because they believed in the magic the most. The others would have problems because they'd first have to acknowledge the existence of magic before they could find it.

Then, Jess's eyes shot open, and she gasped. Raistlin raised an eyebrow, making a silent inquiry so as not to disturb the others. The giddy grin on her face was all of the confirmation he needed. Jess had discovered the intoxicating knowledge that she had the world at her finger tips because she had so much magic. He couldn't help but smile back.

As he'd expected, Maeg was only a few seconds behind her best friend, and she too had obviously been successful. She and Jess looked at each other and made excited faces, communicating without words. Soon, Raistlin noticed that there was another stirring mentally. Joan was struggling to get back into consciousness. Raistlin let his mind go over and give her a 'push' back to the real world. She looked every bit as excited as the other too, and on her face was also amazement. Until this, she had still thought that this could be an elaborate hoax.

In the next few minutes, all of the others reached full consciousness with various degrees of help from the mages. All of them had found their magic. After Raistlin saw that everyone was awake and relaxed, he continued to teach.

"Good. I see that all of you were able to tap into your magic without too much effort. You will get faster with practice. Now, I'll demonstrate how touse the thread of magic you've pulled up. Dalamar, the candles." Dalamar nodded, and instants later, there was a full box of candles, and enough candlesticks to go around.

"In this type of magic, fire is one of the easiest things to call. Each of you take a candlestick and a candle. Then, you will concentrate on lighting the candle. Though my first teacher was a complete dolt, he did have one moment of intelligence, when he said this: "The magic is in the blood, it flows from the heart. Every time you use it, part of yourself goes with it. Only when you are prepared to give of yourself and receive nothing back will the magic work for you." I believe that this is true on this world, as well as all others. Keep it in mind.

"To light the candle, you may want to point at it, though this does nothing, as you saw when my apprentice summoned the candles. Dalamar and I will demonstrate this first, and then you can try. Remember not to put to much magic into it, or the candle will completely melt. Too little, and the flame will go out."

With those words, he lit his candle with magic, and the flames danced brightly. He nodded to Dalamar, whose candle burst into flames instantly as well. Then, Raistlin looked up to the group. "I apologize for putting you on the spot, but going one by one would be best. Jess, you seem to have the best handle on your magic. If you would go first?"

Jess nodded grimly, and her face scrunched up in concentration. First, there was nothing, and then the end of the candle started to smoke. It went out, and she glared at it, shoving out mentally with the strand of magic. Suddenly, the candle burst into bright flame, and if Jess noticed that about a centimeter was consumed in that first burst of fire, it didn't show on the exhilarated look on her face. Apparently, she found magic every bit as intoxicating as it had been described in the books.

Raistlin nodded in grim approval. "Maeg?" He wanted the people who had the best grasp of magic to go first partly to show the others it could be done.

Maeg glanced over at Dalamar, who nodded his encouragement. With a deep breath, she too fixed a fierce stare at the candle, abstaining from the use of her hand in a similar way to Jess. Likely because she'd observed her friend first, Maeg's candle lit fairly quickly. Unfortunately, it was about half gone by the time the flame steadied, however, Maeg looked happy if a bit sheepish.

Rebecca was next, as Raistlin decided to continue in a clockwise direction now that the two with the best grasp of magic were out of the way. She decided that no matter what the others had done, it would help her to point. It took a while before the candle began to even smoke, which was just as Raistlin suspected. Rebecca believed that this was the mages playing with their minds at the best, and a complete hoax, though elaborate, at the worst. However, her candle finally burst into flame, and none was more surprised, or delighted then she.

Maria went after, and she lit her candle with only a bit of fuss. Joan was next, and the candle lit almost immediately. Though she didn't possess much natural magic, she believed in it completely, and seemed to have a knack for controlling it that the others would likely have to develop. Raistlin was impressed at her natural affinity. Shame it was paired with so little power.

Everett was last, and it took him a while to light the candle. At this, Raistlin was not surprised. It was not for lack of affinity or power, as Everett had enough of both, but of belief. From only what he'd seen so far, Raistlin could tell that Everett was a thinker – logical, and a person who liked things in their own little boxes. He was like Tanis in that regard. Unfortunately, magic was so far from his reality that he had trouble grasping it. However, it finally did light, and Everett sat back with an expression of amazement at the fact that he'd just used magic, something that didn't exist.

Raistlin had to admit, he was pleased with his impromptu pupils' success. They were ready to start learning some basic mind control spells. But that would be tomorrow. "Tomorrow, meet back here. You're done for the day, though it would help if you practiced at home by moving small things with your mind." Though this was phrased as request, it was spoken in a way that would indicate repercussions if not followed.

As everyone stood up, Raistlin ordered Dalamar to the door to let everyone out. It was good having an apprentice, though they could get annoying. As Jess walked by, Raistlin nodded his approval of her performance under the pressure of being the guinea pig. She flushed and grinned.

On the way out, they knocked on the door to alert Lenny. He emerged carrying a huge broadsword and an amazed expression. "It's real! I saw them. They were there." He would say no more than that, even when asked.

Dalamar walked with the group to the door, and held it open. Each nodded their thanks. When Maeg was walking by, Dalamar smiled at her. "Good job. Even though you nearly burned down the house..." His smile broadened.

Maeg blushed scarlet. "Thanks, I think. Raistlin is a good teacher."

Dalamar nodded pensively. "That he is. That he is..."

**A/N:** Well, hope that didn't bore you out of your wits. I promise, it is relevant! I thank you for your continued help and support, my dear reviewers. Now, to answer you all. Crap, there're a lot of you! Keep 'em coming!! And, good luck to all countries entered in the Olympics!

Jade Limill: Glad you thought Raistlin was more in character. I tried. Oh, and you must be thinking of a much nicer Raist than I to think he'd stop at acne. I'll say right now no one will betray them, unless I get reviews for a late-coming traitor. However, what Raistlin was planning was more along the lines of magically cutting the word traitor into each arm, and having it scar in such a way it would stay forever, or make the person say "I'm a lying traitor!" every time they opened their mouths.

Childlike Empress: Glad you like my pairings. Sorry to say, the mages are going to follow the course of history when they get back. Raist will try to take over the world, and Dal will get almost killed by Kit despite the girls' warnings. Sowwy! I'm glad you are able to relate to my characters. Also, no prob about your story. Good writers deserve good reviews!

Guan: No prob. I get review writers block too sometimes.

Alien21xx: Glad you like the way I'm working in the pairings. I tried hard to capture Raistlin's essence, and I'm glad you thought I had. Glad you liked the style. I think I did take the dream sequence indirectly from something in the Twins trilogy. Thanks for the compliment on capturing the gods style as well.

TheLadyValura: Glad you've reviewed, and that you enjoy my writing. About Raistlin and Jess – I'm going to have one hell of a hard time doing it, but the thermos in this chapter did help, as did her natural affinity for magic. Past that, well it's kind of up to Erato, muse of love. And you felt sorry for Catalina? Please, don't.

Petalwing: If you don't mind, I'll answer all of your reviews in one fell swoop. (1) Yeah, Eritrea I found in an Atlas. But they do have 4 people in the Olympics! (2) And I pity Dally too. One mean teacher is enough. (4) And Dalamar being mean? Oh, my heart. I agree, took me forever trying to find a word/insult for him to use! (5) Ah, the wonders of the modern world. (6) Rather I say something else about the teacher? Okay. "He's dead, Jim!" Star Trek rocks! (8) Don't worry, no clothes changing, but I am doing something fun to them at the final battle! (9) Raist is definitely going to get a much smaller army, but his newfound good looks should help! (10) You're absolutely right about why everyone accepts. Its curiosity, pressure, and for the ones that read the books, fear of what'd happen were it really Raistlin. Glad you took that as suspension of disbelief, though.


	12. Mind Games

**Disclaimer:** None of it is mine. Yet... Also, the basis of my mind control spell was stolen from one of Jade Limill's stories, Terrible Elwen, and I am using it with her permission.

**A/N;** Okay, I must apologize once more. Again, I find this chapter, though amusing at times, quite dull. I promise, this is the last one. Don't worry, it is not nearly as long as the last one was. The plot _is_ coming here soon – I swear! If you get really disgusted with it, stop reading and tell me in a review. I'll put a summary of this one at the top of my next post.

**Mind Games**

The next morning, the 'army' returned to Raistlin and Dalamar's house for more magic lessons. They were greeted at the door by Dalamar who was wearing his robes for the day, since they wouldn't be going outside anyway. He bowed the group inside, and they returned to the room where they'd been the day before. Lenny too retuned to the room where he'd been, holding his new broadsword in an almost-comfortable manner and shutting the door with a bang behind him.

The others filed back into what Maeg had started calling the 'magic room' to herself. They sat back down on the cushions, which seemed not to have been moved since the day before. This day, there were new candles at each place.

Raistlin brusquely began to teach once more. "Now, I would like to see each of you use magic to move the candle to the center of the circle and light it. This should be simple, assuming you practiced last night as I'd requested." With that, he demonstrated, the candle lighting as it flew to the center of the circle. Dalamar's did the same seconds after the first candle had landed.

They went around the circle in the same order as the day before. Today, it took much less time for everyone to light their candles, and no one had much trouble moving them. Raistlin was pleased that they'd all practiced, at least a bit, but he had expected no less.

Once all of the teens had successfully performed the task before them, Raistlin spoke once more. "Now that you have all performed reasonably well, we will start something new. Ordinarily, I would spend much more time on the basics, but we may not have that time to waste." His furrowed brow showed exactly what Raistlin thought about being rushed while he taught.

"So, instead of continuing in that vein, we shall start on the basics of mind control and fighting it. I have a feeling that this will be one of the most useful things you will learn for your battle against the Dark Queen, because her primary power comes from her mastery of manipulation. To demonstrate, I will control the mind of my apprentice, who will _try_ to fight it."

Both mages got up. Maeg shook her head when she noticed that Raistlin had so little faith in his apprentice that he had indicated that Dalamar could only try to fight the control. Ignoring Dalamar's furious negating gesture, she spoke. "Only try? If you're such a good teacher, why can't he completely fight it?" Maria nodded in agreement, while Jess put her head in her hands in frustration.

The only sign of annoyance Raistlin gave was a slight twitch of his mouth as he tried to control his exasperation. "One of greater power will almost always control someone weaker than they are." He sneered slightly when he spoke the word 'weaker'. "This is the problem with this magic, as well as most magic. However, if anyone less than Takhisis herself tries to control your mind, this will be useful. Now, observe."

Raistlin locked eyes with Dalamar, who appeared to be unable to pull away. A look of intense concentration grew on both mages' faces. Dalamar started to sweat and twitch, but stayed in one place. Finally, he was no longer able to lock his muscles, and began cavorting about the room, singing in Elvish. Raistlin had a satisfied look on his face, but it was obvious that he needed his full concentration.

Dalamar suddenly stopped dancing and started strutting around the room, swinging his hips. He paused, looked into what seemed to be an invisible mirror, and put on imaginary lipstick. He then proceeded to pile his hair on top of his head as though trying to style it. The assembled group couldn't help but laugh at how much he looked like Catalina. Finally, with a sigh of slight exhaustion, Raistlin released him.

Dalamar had frozen, bent over, playing with his hair. Now that he had control over his mind again, he seemed to realize what he'd been doing, and stood up. He walked gracefully back to his cushion, a slight blush upon his cheeks. "You shouldn't have said anything," he murmured to Maegith as he took his seat.

"Why?" Her voice was seeped in barely contained anger. "It just isn't fair that he made you do all of that, and he didn't even believe in you." Suddenly, she noticed that the elf's eyes were slightly golden, fading back to their normal color.

"Eh-hem." Raistlin's soft half-cough silenced Maeg, and she blushed, caught like a deer in headlights. "Now that I've demonstrated, I shall explain the theory. To perform this spell takes immense concentration and willpower. To begin, you must get eye contact with the person. Once you have it, throw out a strand of power as if you were tying yourself to them. This will prevent the other person from pulling away.

"Once you've bound them, concentrate with every fiber of your being. You will need to try to enter the other person's mind then. Once they are tied to you, you will have a short window of time in which to enter their mind when they will be completely defenseless. Then, you will mentally suggest exactly what you want them to do. You will need to use all of your will power, or else they will be able to refuse and break free. You will also need to use your magic to encourage them. The way in which to do this feels different to everyone, so it would be a waste of breath for me to attempt to explain it." He took a gulp of tea from his thermos, which was on the floor next to him.

"Once you have them under your control, you can do several things. One, which I just demonstrated, is to make the person do things that they ordinarily would not, or even could not normally do. The other, which I have a feeling will be more important for our purposes, is to block out the minds of other people. In this way, you stop those students who remain neutral and/or oblivious to the battle from believing Tahkisis's lies.

"This branch of mind control magic is also easier to maintain than the other, mostly because you're only _suggesting_ one thing, rather than controlling their every move. Because of this, you will be able to put the spell on dozens of people at once without the drain that the other form would make.

"You will be able to tell when people are fully under your control by their eyes. They will change to the color of your own. To make it more obvious in the future, I will put a spell on all of you that will cause anyone whose mind you are controlling to get golden eyes, like my own. It would simply be a waste of energy to do so now, however.

"For now, I will put you into pairs based on your magical ability and affinity. You will each have a turn to cast the spell and try to resist it. To resist, use your magic to put up 'walls' around your mind. Remember, you have to want this to work more than anything for it to happen.

"If you notice that you're able to resist your partner's attempts to breech those walls, give in a little. I wish for everyone to be able to feel both sides of the coin. For now, you will try the harder version of this spell. Feel free to make your 'victim' do anything you wish, but please refrain from obscenity. My apprentice and I will be observing you." He took another sip of tea to fend off his impending coughing fit.

"Now, Maeg and Jess are partners, Joan and Maria, and Rebecca and Everett." Begin now. It makes no difference who does what first."

The teens got into their groups. Maeg and Jess stood facing each other. "So, do you want to try first, or should I?" Maeg was hesitant to speak, embarrassed that she'd reprimanded her best friend's hero.

Obviously, Jess didn't care much, because she said cheerfully "Doesn't matter to me. Whatever you'd like."

Finally, they established that Jess was going to perform the spell first and Maeg resist it. About to start, Jess was interrupted. "Can you make me do a handstand? I've never been able to, and I'd dearly like to!" Jess shook her head in amusement. Sometimes, her friend was just like a kender.

"Sure. Gymnastics it is then." With that, she glared at Maeg, who glared back, equally fierce. Maeg felt Jess magically lock onto her, and she tried to move her head, but found that, as promised, that she couldn't. Suddenly, she realized she should be concentrating. Just in time, she tried to bring up her mental walls to block Jess out.

Maeg then felt one of the oddest sensations of her life. She could actually feel Jess' magic beating against her own, but it was not feeling in the normal sense of the word. It was more closely related to an imagined feeling, such as one might have in a dream. However, Maeg knew that this was a reality.

She felt her walls weakening, and put extra strength into them, maintaining a mental image of strong animals and other things. Finally, since the object of this activity was as much to feel the control as to fight or produce it, she gave in. She doubted she could have held on any longer anyway. Suddenly, she felt her best friend in her mind. On instinct, she relinquished some of the control of her mind, because the body knows never work harder than necessary to accomplish the same goal.

Suddenly, Maeg felt control of the rest of her mind wrenched from her grasp. Shocked, she tried to take it back, but could only stand helpless, a prisoner in her own body. Suddenly, her body started to move. She watched through the windows of her eyes as her body performed feats of gymnastics to make Carly Patterson green with envy. Suddenly, she felt completely disoriented as Jess relinquished control to her. She fell flat on her backside, as she'd been in a position that only an Olympian could hold.

For a minute, it was all Maeg could do to stay sitting, rather than lying down. She felt dizzy, and entirely unsettled. Once the room stopped spinning, she tried to get up. Unfortunately, her mind had not yet taken back control of her muscles, and she was stuck on the floor. She sat, dumbfounded, for another few seconds, and then put all of her strength into getting up. Finally, she was able to heave herself to her feet, with the help of Jess.

"So, wha'd it feel like?" Jess had an amazed look on her face.

"Like watching a warped Olympics performed with my own body. After you let me go, like Jell-o. That is one experience I do not want to repeat. I can't believe Dalamar actually didn't mind being the guinea pig! Well, now it's your turn."

Jess grimaced. "Did I ever mention you're my bestest friend?"

Maeg grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't make you do anything embarrassing. At least not much." She locked eyes with Jess. This time, she sent out a bit of magic, and 'tied' it around her friend. Using the magic, she could see Jess' inner being, and it was around this that she tied her thread.

After having been securely tied, she let her mind sink into Jess' eyes. She saw the walls Jess made surround her inner core. However, running through the walls was the string of magic that Maeg had tied. Concentrating on this one spot of weakness, Maeg formed her magic into a battering ram and thrust it at the wall.

She guessed that Jess' magic was greatly depleted from their earlier activities, because it was not long before she breeched the walls of Jess' mind. Suddenly, Maeg felt herself taking over Jess' mind. She wasn't sure how she did it, but one minute she was looking at Jess' core, and the next was looking through her eyes. She then took control of Jess's muscles, and soon was hanging from the chandelier.

She made Jess' body do an intricate workout reminiscent of a high bar routine. Coming off of the ceiling, she did a triple flip before landing on her feet. After Jess had come down, Maeg untied her knot and withdrew from Jess' mind with a jolt. She felt as though she were falling back into her own skin. However, this time she regained control of her body in seconds, since she had never actually relinquished it.

Maeg could only stare as her friend tried to use her body, as she'd been struggling to only moments before. Then, realizing that Jess was regaining control, she put out a hand to the other girl. Gratefully, Jess took it and heaved herself up.

"Wow! I didn't realize it was going to be like that. Sorry!" Jess blushed. "Just as long as it isn't that hard to do the other way!"

Dalamar, who had been watching their progress unnoticed then spoke. "No, it isn't that hard the other way. Congratulations, by the way. You two are the first to finish. Most haven't even gotten past casting the spell on the first person, let alone have finished with their second. Because of this, both my Shalafi and myself have been watching you. You've both done exceedingly well."

Both girls blushed. "Thanks! What time is it?" Maeg wanted to end her continued disorientation.

Dalamar looked at the wristwatch on his arm. "Only an hour since we started, by your time."

Maeg and Jess looked at each other, shocked. It had felt like an eternity to both. Suddenly, Maeg's stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed scarlet. "I guess the magic made me hungry."

Dalamar nodded. "Most understandable. You are likely almost completely drained. Come." He led her and Jess into the kitchen where a plate of fruit, cheese, and crackers was waiting on the table.

"You knew we'd be this fast." Maeg's tone was accusatory.

"Of course. Why do you think my Shalafi put you two together? One of us had to talk to you privately, and this was the easiest way. It was only logical, because you two have the greatest affinity and power, that you'd finish first. Feel free to eat while I talk, but don't go too fast. Trust me on that one." Dalamar's voice was wry.

Without further hesitation, Maeg grabbed an apple, and Jess took a few crackers and some cheese. "Now, we wanted to discuss something of the utmost importance. We believe that there will be a time of mutual truce, because the Dark Queen will need to build her group of supporters and train them, as we are. After that, however, it will not be long until she decided to attack. We were wondering if you knew anywhere we could lead her that would be beneficial to us."

"Well, how long do you think training will take?" Jess took a break from eating ravenously to ask her question.

"Raistlin and I aren't sure, but we estimate it will take at least a month, perhaps two."

Maeg looked up, wiping juice from the apple off of her chin. "That means summer vacation. That's good. It gives us a lot more choices. I guess the Renaissance Faire is one possibility, but I think it would be better if we could get it further away. I'll think on it." Jess nodded her agreement, and the three went back to the room where everyone was practicing.

Watching their friends, they decided it was much better being on the outside rather than either casting it or receiving it. Being on the outside, however, was quite amusing. Everett was singing "I Feel Pretty" while dancing a much accentuated version of the chicken dance with Joan.

Finally, everyone was finished, and therefore famished. Raistlin dismissed the group, saying that they'd done reasonably well for a group of their (in)experience. Some of the teens seemed a bit miffed at how little praise Raistlin gave for their efforts, but those that had read Dragonlance knew that that was just his way, and attempted to tell the others so.

After snacking on fruit, crackers and cheese, everyone was dismissed, mostly because no one had energy left to learn more. They arranged to meet the next day at school, but they agreed it would be best to keep a low profile so that Takhisis was kept in the dark for a bit longer. No one could think of a reason her knowing who was in the group would be worse than her not, but it was agreed that secrecy always was best in such situations.

**A/N:** Well, thanks for bearing with me people. And now, a commercial (which hopefully will be more entertaining than the chapter) It's short, I promise.:

Narrator: Are you an elf? Have you been abused by fanfiction authors? Do you feel as if the whole world is against you? Well, don't lose hope. Help is on the way!

Dalamar: _(Walking out)_ Its true, folks. Finally, we elves have banded together to overcome our problems in a new support group.

Narrator: So, if you're interested in finding out how these elves are coping, check out ESGAME on a computer near you. This story was written for the group by Petalwing and her beta-reader Dalamar Nightson under the name Nightwing Writers for the benefit of elves everywhere. This is a nonprofit organization.

**A/N:** Well, now that you've read my shameless plug, review and look up ESGAME! Now, to respond to my loverly reviewers. By the way – only three? Come on, people. I know you can show more support than that! I don't care if you criticize.

A.N. Winterz: Glad you liked it, even if I didn't. Hopefully you didn't mind this one either.

Bored-Kender: Thanks. Hope you're feelings remain after this chapter

Alien21xx: First, may I say, I love you! This is because so many people will just tell me nice job, keep going, even when they have a problem with it. I really appreciate when an author is frank with me, telling me that they disliked my transition, though they understand why it was needed or some such thing, so thank you for your comments. About the tree thing, thanks. That was my favorite part in the chapter, and was just so fun to write. Hope you didn't hate think this chapter was too horrible.


	13. Sorry to my reviewers

**A/N:** Alright, don't tattle on me, but this is one big Author's Note. After getting several reviews saying I got more than 3 reviews for chapter 11, I looked, and lo – there they were! So, this is just my apology to those of you who I didn't see, and my responses. Don't bother reviewing if you don't want. I'll probably trash this post before I put the next chapter up. (And these are only responses to chapter 11. I do know people have reviewed to 12 already, but I am really time pressed. I'm not forgetting about you, though.)

Lazy.Kender19: Hehehe. Thanks! I think you're even more impatient than I am!

Elven-Girl10: Thanks! Hope you're still enjoying.

Ahn-Li Steffraini: Sorry about the wait. I'm glad you like my story! I love all of yours, by the way.

Guan: Thanks for the input. I have an idea. Evil cackles And not to worry about things happening to Cat. I have plenty planned.

BoredKender: Thankees! And no, I don't know about WarCraft. Sorry.

Petalwing: Glad you liked it. As you might say, the Geordi bug bit me. I'll see what I can do about telling how Lenny's lessons are going.

Jade Limill: Thanks, I loved that part too! So much fun to write.

Childlike Empress: Glad you liked it! And Jess isn't exactly blind to what Raist is doing, she just doesn't want to say anything to him, because she really wants his respect. I'll try to make that clearer in future chapters. Thanks for the input, though.


	14. Monday, Monday

**Disclaimer:** No characters or places mentioned in the DL books belong to me. Not even a certain, very hot, Elvish mage belongs to me, unfortunately.

**A/N:** Before anything else, I must apologize in advance: in this chapter, I detailed the 'caste system' I've observed in my school. This is just my perspective, and was not written to offend anyone. If someone feels as if by my explanation, I misplaced them, I'm sorry. Now, to the rest of the note: Sorry for the delay, peeps. First, I became disgusted with myself for writing such a Sue, then I got a bit of inspiration, then Fie got mad because he'd wanted more reviews on Shades of Grey. Unfortunately, Black Mages can be even more temperamental and bitchy than teenage girls. That could be one reason we work so well together. Anyway, without further ado, my story.

**Monday, Monday**

The day dawned bright and warm on Monday, and Maeg walked sleepily out of her house to hear the birds singing. Unfortunately, it was Monday, so the beauty of the day was lost to her. Equally unfortunate, she was also a bit sore from the aerobics of the day previous. She grunted in greeting to Jess, who, by arrangement, was the one driving that day. Upon getting to school and meeting up with the mages, she was still in a weary stupor. It was only through the greatest effort that she managed not to hit Dalamar, who, though not really a morning person, did need less sleep than the humans, and therefore was quite cheery.

"So, did you get a good night's rest? Lovely day out, isn't it? I really like this place – trees and buildings all together! Isn't it nice?" For once, Maeg and Raistlin were truly united in the idea that Dalamar sounded like an inebriated kender, and shouldn't be doing that at this hour. Jess on the other hand, was about to reply, when the other two cut her off. "Shut up, Dalamar! How could I be having a good day? It's Monday for God's sake!"

Maeg and Raistlin both broke off their tirade, amazed that they'd had exactly the same feelings, save for Maeg's rant referring to one god, and Raistlin's being plural. Dalamar gulped back a laugh at the looks on the two humans faces. It seemed to make it even funnier that Maeg's glare was situated a good head lower than Raistlin's.

After glaring at each other for a moment, they both fixed their death stares on the offending elf. He gulped, and tried not to remember the fact that when his _Shalafi_ looked at him like that, it was usually a prerequisite to pain.

Luckily, Jess was there to break the silence. "Guys, lighten up! Monday-itis is perfectly fine, but remember whose class we're heading to now! She'd likely give any of us detention or worse at the drop of a hat, much less a glare."

That statement was enough to drive all traces of amusement from the dark elf's face, as well as to help dispel the annoyance on Maeg and Raistlin's. Raistlin sighed. "You're quite astute for someone from this planet." Though obviously meant as praise, Raistlin was as cynical as ever. "You are quite right; we should be concentrating on fighting Her Dark Majesty, not each other."

The bell rang, telling the students it was time to go inside, and the four got caught up in the crush of students. When they got to their hall, the crowd had thinned a bit, and they were able to talk once more. Between the time it took to get to the hall, and the fight to get there, Maeg was looking considerably more awake. They each stopped at their lockers to get the morning's books. After a minute, Dalamar waved them over to his locker, and motioned for them to be quiet.

He pointed at Takhisis' room, which was apparently empty, save for the Goddess herself, doing paperwork at her desk. Maeg raised an eyebrow in silent query. "It's just an illusion, like the one that she'd created while talking to Catalina." Dalamar answered, speaking in a low tone. "I believe that boy who was bothering you the other day, what was his name? Arthur? No, Arnold. Yes, Arnold was called in. When the room changed after he entered, I decided that whatever was said in there was likely to be pertinent."

The group huddled around Dalamar, who started to relay the conversation. Raistlin also cast an illusion, so that it would appear that they were chatting innocently and getting books out of the locker.

"Arnold. So glad you were able to come." The goddess' voice was at its most sultry and tempting. "I have a proposition for you."

"Yes?" Arnold sounded interested, as well as in awe of Takhisis' beauty.

"What are your feelings on Miss Maegith Newkirk? Not very charitable, I expect." The Dark Queen's voice was soothing, compelling the boy to tell all.

"Maeg? What does she have to do with anything?"

Remarkably, the goddess was able to keep her temper. "Everything, my dear boy, but yet nothing. Everything and nothing. All will be explained in due time. Now, tell me. Every detail." Her voice held that soothing tone that indicated the use of a mind control spell. Now that the group had experience in that, they would have been able to detect that themselves if they'd risked getting Takhisis' attention with a bit of magic.

Unable to resist the mind control, Arnold's answer was completely truthful, at least from his point of view. "Well, I've liked her since we were little, and she's never liked me. Guess she thinks she's too good for me, or something."

"I wonder why." Takhisis' voice was slightly sarcastic, but not so much that the rather dull Arnold would pick up on, especially when under one of Takhisis' spells.

"Glad I'm appreciated by someone. Anyway, the other day, I asked her very nicely if she'd go out with me, and she flaunts in my face the fact that she'd immediately ensnared that new kid Daniel. The whore."

"And yet you still desire her? The minds of mortals continue to amaze me. But that's beside the point. What would you say if I offered you power beyond your wildest dreams, and a future containing her and any other mortal you desire? Would you like that, dear?" Her tone was one used on little children when bribing them with toys.

"Of course I'd like that, who wouldn't? But what's the catch?" His tone was suspicious.

"That you learn to use your power and use it against the Dark Elf and the mage." At what must have been a look of total astonishment and disbelief from the human, the goddess embellished. "Daniel and Raistlin. And taking that other girl Jess out of the way wouldn't hurt either. This is all I ask, and for that, the power of the world can be yours."

There was a moment of silence, in which Arnold must have been simply staring, astonished. "How?" He finally managed to stutter.

"I am a goddess of immense power from another world, and they are trying to prevent me from getting back. I need your help." She was pouring on the charm, knowing exactly what to say to get the desired results.

"Well, the ones standing in your way must be dumb not to want you in their world. Of course I'll help. I'm dedicated to you, My Lady. I pledge my life."

"Curses." Dalamar swore as he repeated the last sentence said before the room went back to normal.

"What's wrong?" Maeg was confused. "He doesn't have very many friends, so alone, he can't be nearly as dangerous as the 'cool girls' group!"

"The problem," Raistlin continued, "is that as a man of little intellect, he will have less trouble grasping that magic, in theory, is impossible in this world, and therefore can't exist. Because he will not disbelieve it, magic will come to him more easily, making him a much more dangerous foe. He also is likely awash in righteous anger that someone is preventing a 'Lady' from returning home."

Reluctantly, the group had to go into class and sit in their appointed seats, because none wanted detention with Takhisis for being late to class. Unfortunately, they forgot to factor in that she was a goddess. As each of them was about halfway to their seats, the bell rang, three minutes early.

Takhisis grinned ferally at them, ignoring the confused stares of the other students who were not yet seated. "Being late to class is inexcusable, children. Raistlin, Daniel, Maeg, and Jess, I want a ten-page paper on why this is so by tomorrow morning. Size twelve font, single-spaced, normal margins, no excuses. Oh, and no relating it to anything outside of school, or it's an automatic failure." She smiled sweetly. "Now, let us get started."

Everyone was too astonished at the fact that Maegith Newkirk, official goody-two-shoes and teachers' pet had just gotten into trouble to notice that morning announcements never came on.

Dalamar, Raistlin, Maeg, and Jess sat quickly, not daring to say anything in protest lest it bring more work down on the rest of the group. Maeg looked shell shocked at the fact that she'd just gotten the equivalent of a detention. The girl she sat down next to, Taylor, smirked. "Not so smart now, are you?"

Maeg stared at the girl, who was easily the dumbest in Catalina's clique. "Having to write a paper for being late to a class that started early doesn't diminish brain power, at least not the last time I checked." She rolled her eyes as the other girl paused, taking in what she said. Taylor rolled her eyes and tossed her hair; her old standby of an answer for things she didn't understand.

Takhisis looked up. "Miss Newkirk? Did you want to make that twenty pages?" She smiled sweetly.

Maeg looked up at her briefly, not even daring to glare. "No, ma'am. Not one more word from me."

The rest of the class was hell for the quartet of mages, and Takhisis assigned a mountain of homework on top of their ten pages. When she had her back turned, Maeg glared at the goddess, a look of pure hatred. She'd finish both homework and paper if it took her until 3 AM to do it.

Maeg looked at the clock from her place next to Taylor. No wonder the period seemed to be taking forever – Takhisis was holding the bells again. Finally, however, it was over. As she walked to the door, all of the girls of Catalina's clique smirked at her. When she got out of the class, both Dalamar and Raistlin were looking quizzically at her.

"Why do they hate you so much?" It was Dalamar who finally asked. "I mean, apart from childhood disagreements. They all look at you as if they're elves and you're an ogre."

Maeg and Jess looked at each other. It was finally time for the caste explanation. "Well," Jess began. "To understand the cliques, you have to understand high school society. Or at least the female portion of that- we're still trying to figure out the male caste system. So, there are three major groups. The Untouchables, the Middle Class, and Human Dirt."

"Each group," Maeg continued, "has many sub-groups. Starting at the top – Catalina's clique: in the Untouchables. They are the upper class white girls who manage to be in honors classes, but not at the very top of them. They're passably good at everything they do, but excel at nothing save popularity, fashion, and guys. There is also a group in the Untouchables for every other race. The main rules of the Untouchables – stay popular at any cost, and speak to no one below the Middle Class. Usually, each of the sub-groups has a leader, and the others are disposable friends of the leader. Those friends might be shoved into Middle Class or even become Dirt the minute they cross the leader."

"Next is the Middle Class." Jess took up the narrative. "These people can socialize with people from any other class without losing face. They're usually fairly good at everything they try, but don't particularly stand out. If they do, its usually sports, though there are a couple in academics. They don't, however, do things such as read, write, or do homework outside what they have to while in public. They're usually pretty nice people, and will be good friends."

"Finally, there is Human Dirt." Maeg was finishing off the explanation. "That would include the people who excel academically and in band. A person in this group is not afraid to look like a geek, because they've already been branded as such. Usually, they have their own sense of style for clothing, which has nothing to do with what is 'cool'. Unless they find someone with very similar interests, they are likely to have no love lives. They aren't allowed to speak to the Untouchables, unless it's to give them an answer. This would be the group that Jess and myself fall into, mostly due to our love of fantasy books, and our good grades. All of the girls in our army belong to this group."

"Ah." Dalamar sounded surprised that there was an answer so clear cut and readily available. Once more, he was reminded of the intricacies of Elvish politics.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly, which may have been partly due to the fact that they were practically on a two-hour delay schedule due to Takhisis' trick of holding the bells. Surprisingly, even gym passed without incident. Raistlin had discovered a potion that when rubbed into the body would dispel the anti-magic effects of the chlorine. The Earthlings and Dalamar were surprised to see that Raistlin was a capable, even a good, swimmer. On further contemplation however, they realized that he must be, having grown up around Caramon and Crystalmere Lake.

**A/N:** Well, hope y'all enjoyed. I apologize for the spelling of the Lake mentioned in the last paragraph – I can't spell for beans, and I'm too lazy to look minor details like that up. So, no spelling based flames, please! Next chapter – a lot of time passes, and the true Sue-ness begins. Finally, the middle of the story draws near! Now, to my faithful reviewers: Well, okay, not quite yet. I just noticed several names on my favorites list that I don't remember seeing on reviews. If you like my stories, tell me for crying out loud! Now, review, or I'll sic Fie on you. Now, to my loyal reviewers (take 2):

Ahn-Li Steffraini: My goodness, I think I've finally learned how to spell your name! Well, thanks for the great review for the last chapter. I agree, the mental picture of Dal dancing around was quite amusing, and I have a feeling that you may be right, and Dalamar will get some sort of revenge before this story is over. Thank you very much for the website. I hadn't known about it previously, and will be sure to check it out. By the way, I apologize in advance for the Sue-ness of the next chapter. I have this feeling I should start running now so I'll have a head start on the PPC!

ChildlikeEmpress: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I too was quite amused.

Guan: Your welcome for my correcting myself, and no, it didn't come out wrong – I'd been an ass. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter more than the last, and I promise, this is the last completely uninspired one of the lot, at least for a while.

Alien21XX: Thanks again for your honesty: reviews like yours really help me with my writing. I agree about Dally's dancing, but as I'd taken biology with the two biggest class clowns in my school, I count myself (for the most part) above much mental scarring! Glad you appreciated the way I detailed the spell, though I do agree – it did get rather dry at times. No worries – the next chapter is QUITE emotion packed… And yes, there should be a good deal of reference to chapters 11 and 12 in the coming battles. Sorry for taking so long!

Lazy.kender19: Sorry for the wait! Glad you liked the chapter, and sorry for the wait! But something involving Freddie and a certain self-help group had to come first!

Jade Limill: No problem for not reviewing the last chapter, it happens to everyone. Glad you liked both. Wow, you're the second or third person who complained about mental scarring from Dally's dance – I should make an announcement before I do things like that, I guess.

Pet: Yep, either Geordi or Spock. Grimace Now that that's over with, though, I can refer back to it anytime without long, drawn out explanations. Sorry, don't know Vampire the Masquerade. Who knows, maybe he is related! Don't worry, not too much more Dalamar abuse. He knows I love him. Though he could be driven to the group for that too…

Elven-Girl 10: Sorry again for not seeing the review. That's what comes of too little sleep. Oh, I'm glad someone actually noticed my teeny anachronism. I did know that that was out of time, I just had to manipulate the order of things to get everyone to the point where I needed them. Sorry that it bothered you, and thanks for telling me, though I did know. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

A. N. Winterz: Glad you liked it. Hope this too was satisfactory.

Kenderling: Yeah, I rather do enjoy writing Maeg's little rants. I think some more people will be vocalizing similar thoughts in the next chapter or two. Glad you did enjoy the mind control stunts. I too am quite ready to be over and done with this 'introduction to magic' bit.


	15. Attack of the Sue

**Disclaimer:** Honestly, would I be writing Mary-Sues on fanfiction if I owned any part of the real story?

**A/N:** So, everyone impressed at how quickly I updated? I'm impressed at how quickly all of you reviewed! Now, two things before I start this chapter: I did not write this in a bragging manner, those of you who really care about your grades as I do (likely most of you) will know how much of a burden it can be. Second, if you want to flame this for it being a Sue, two rules – 1) No bad language. 2) PLEASE don't just say it's a Sue, therefore its trash. Tell me exactly what you don't like. Other than that, just keep in mind I answer all reviews publicly. Enjoy!

**Attack of the Sue**

It had over a month since the mages had arrived on Earth. Both armies were still working to build up their forces. Even Raistlin had to admit that his group was doing well for such a short time. In part, his pleasure came from the fact that they all worked so well together. Though it was rare on Krynn, he had heard of covens or coteries of mages working together. Now, he was in one.

It worked out that all of the Earthlings had a slightly different specialty. Maeg and Jess were both quite good at the more subtle mental nuances. They could both manipulate others minds with ease. Maeg was especially good at mentally attacking and getting into someone's mind practically before they knew she was there. Though Jess couldn't hide her magic quite as well, she more than made up for it in brute force. Out of the whole group, she was easily the most powerful.

Maria and Joan both proved to have a talent for all manners of war magic. Again, however, there were slight differences. Maria enjoyed causing big explosions, while Joan would rather center her attack and take people (or in the case of practice, wooden stakes) out one by one. Everett had an affinity for 'good' magic, and was becoming a talented healer. Rebecca was most attuned to nature in the group, and could manipulate the elements at will. With continued training from Sargonnas and Kiri-Jolith, Lenny had developed a good sword arm, and decent aim with a bow. He was also learning the spear, something he appeared to have a knack for.

One Saturday, Jess had to go visit relatives, so Maeg and the Krynnish mages had decided to spend the day at the mages' house watching the Lord of the Rings movies, something Maeg had decided they'd have to see at least once before returning to Krynn. They had just taken a lunch break after watching Boromir become a human pincushion when the mail truck came by.

Dalamar heard it and looked, surprised that it had stopped at their house. Raistlin had put anti-spam spells on both their computer and mailbox. No one else would send them anything. Both mages were wearing their robes for comfort, and so could not get up to get it. With a shrug, Dalamar called the two thin letters into their kitchen. He kept his own, giving the other to Raistlin.

Maeg looked over Dalamar's shoulder with interest. "It's the interim!" she exclaimed. As a near obsessive-compulsive student, she always looked forward to grades, whether they are the exact grades that came at the end of the marking period, or the lines of generic A's that always graced her interim reports. "I wonder if I got mine," she mused.

Raistlin looked at her with a slight smirk. "You do have magic, you know."

A flush crept up Maeg's cheeks. "Oh yeah. I sometimes tend to forget about that." Though her relationship with Raistlin had improved over the past few weeks, she still found herself a bit uncomfortable around the cynical archmage. Still blushing, her eyes unfocused slightly in the way they always did when she concentrated on magic. Within seconds, her own interim materialized in her outstretched hand.

She eagerly tore open the envelope and looked at the thick paper. Suddenly, her eager eyes fell upon the first grade. With a sudden squeak of shock, she dropped the letter and fled.

A second later, the mages heard a door, presumably that of the bathroom, slam shut. They looked at each other. When it came to women in general, and especially women's feelings, both felt more than a bit helpless. Finally, Raistlin reached for the interim to see what had upset the Earth girl so. He'd noted that when it came to showing sorrow or mental pain, Maeg took great care to hide it from the public. A master of that art himself, he could recognize the signs, though she hid her feelings with a smile more often than not, where he would have hidden behind sarcasm.

Skimming the list, it all looked good – comments of well-behaved, serious student, and discussion leader lined the page, next to a perfect row of 'Approximate grade to date – 90-100's. Then, he saw what had upset the girl so much. Not following the conventions of the normal set-up of approximate number grades was Takhisis' mark. Sticking out like a sore thumb, the bold-faced font read "**_F_**". A conscientious student himself, Raistlin could sympathize with the teenager. He showed the page to Dalamar, who shook his head sadly.

"I thought she'd realized that that would happen in Takhisis' class." He looked rather surprised at the girl's uncharacteristic display of true distress. For a minute, he and Raistlin just sat, both trying to figure out the best course of action to take with the emotional female.

Finally, Dalamar decided that they had waited long enough for the emotional storm to be over, for the most part. He stood. "I suppose I should go get her." Raistlin nodded, knowing that his apprentice would likely have more luck calming the girl than he himself would.

Dalamar walked softly to the bathroom door and knocked. A muffled squeak came from the other side, something that may have been a curt "Go 'way."

Dalamar sighed. This might be more difficult than he'd anticipated. "I know you're not using the facilities. Either you're coming out, or I'm coming in." He tried to make his voice as authoritative as possible, leaving no room for argument. At another noncommittal grunt, he opened the door gently.

"Maeg?" His voice was gentle. Though he tried not to show it, he was rather disconcerted at this raw show of emotion. The human girl was sitting on the closed toilet seat, half turned away from him. Though he could not see her face, it was obvious to him that she was crying. He gently took hold of her shoulder, turning her around to face him.

Unexpectedly, she rose, taking him in a backbreaking embrace, still sobbing all the while. This too surprised Dalamar, until he realized that she was just clinging to the first solid thing in a world that had gone crashing down around her. Realizing his arms were out to the side in shock, he put them around her gently and stroked her hair in a comforting manor.

The two stood like that silently for a minute or so. It was then that Maeg apparently got control over her emotions and realized that she'd been sobbing into the robe of a book character she'd had a major crush on since she first read the series whence he came. She took a step back, as big a one as the small half-bathroom would allow. "I… I'm so sorry!" She looked as though she was going to cry again.

Dalamar gently pulled her forward again, still trying to hide his discomfort at the rampant emotions. "It's all right. Do you feel a little better now?" She shrugged noncommittally, muttering something about a permanent record. He made a mental note to tell Raistlin he'd need to change all of the involved students' records to show fair grades after this was all over.

"You're going to be fine. I've got something I've wanted to talk to you about for a while, but I've never been able to get you alone. Can I do it now?" Maeg made another noncommittal shrug, which Dalamar chose to take as acquiescence. "Now, I don't want you to think I'm just trying to make you feel better, because that's not why I'm asking this now. I wanted to know if you would…" He took a deep breath. He'd never realized how hard this would be. "How do you humans say it? Go out? With me."

Maeg grinned through her tears, reached up, and kissed him on the mouth. Well, in hindsight, that's what she wished she'd done. Instead, her mouth got away from her again. "What about Kit?" As soon as she said it, she wished she knew a spell to turn back time. Though she'd had no experience in romance previously, she knew asking about someone's old girlfriend was a bad move.

Dalamar, however, just smiled wryly. "And what do you think she's doing…" He looked at his watch – it was just after one o'clock. "Right now?" That comment elicited a watery smile from Maeg. "Besides which, I highly doubt you two will ever meet. Once I go back, I believe it will have to be forever. Also, I seem to think she wouldn't even think of this as an 'affair', compared to what she does!" The watery smile got slightly bigger. "Now, we'd best go out before my Shalafi decides to come looking for us and finds us in this most compromising position!" Maeg had to grin outright as she thought of whom she secretly thought of as 'that uptight mage' finding the two of them in the little two-by-three room.

After washing her face off and blowing her nose, she went out to meet Dalamar, who was waiting just outside the door. He took her hand, and she smiled gratefully. In general, she was amazingly shy when it came to romance, one reason she'd had so little luck previously.

"You've recovered?" Even Raistlin's usual caustic tone had dissipated slightly because of Maeg's dilemma.

Maeg, however, was still in too sensitive a state to notice. She shuddered slightly, and gripped Dalamar's hand a bit tighter before putting a semblance of normalcy in her voice. "Obviously." She tried to regain her normal sarcasm. "Now, shall we watch the next movie?" She shrugged, still struggling to push her feelings back under their normal cheerful cover.

As both elf and man understood that, neither pushed the subject further. They spent the rest of the afternoon peacefully in the living room watching movies. A fire burned in the fireplace, fuel-less. Raistlin sat comfortably in a big armchair. Dalamar and Maeg shared the couch. Upon Dalamar's suggestion, Maeg leaned on his shoulder, and he held his arm around her. It was a companionable, cheerful setting, and even Maeg was able to forget her problems for a while to be consumed in this happiness.

As she was walking home, one thought was on Maeg's mind. Surprisingly, it didn't have to do with her grades. More surprisingly, it had to do with Dalamar in only the broadest terms. _I am such a Sue._ She shook her head, disgusted with herself.

**A/N:** Well, hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Don't expect another chapter so quickly; I've just been planning this one for months. Thanks as always for reading and leaving such lovely reviews. Oh, just looked – you guys rock! Over 100 reviews! Love you all!

Jade Limill: Yes, that's a yummy image, isn't it? And as I said, there are subcategories in each. I was just trying to simplify things for the mages.

Bored-Kender: You really want to know? Well, first my muses quit without two weeks notice because they wanted to work with real authors. Then, I got sick, had school, and had homework! Then, it took me forever to get a new muse, and then once I did, he got really mad at me and went on strike. Glad you're enjoying, though.

Ahn-Li Steffraini: Never said I thought I _could_ run away, just thought I _should_! Gulp Guess I shouldn't have put in that chapter about my being a slow runner, should I? Thank goodness I help with ESGAME, or I think Dalamar would help you.

Lazy.kender19: Yes, my apologies, it is 6. And, as soon as Pet sends that chapter back, it will be up!

Elvengirl 10: Thanks for understanding. As to politics, nothing can compare to the U.S.: we have the man with the brain the size of a flea in office!

Childlike Empress: Sorry to disappoint, but I can't kill a character based on my best friend! I actually never even thought of that possibility. :-p I actually wasn't planning on killing off anyone, though (spoiler alert) if I ever get some inspiration back on Daughter of Prophesy, you may get your wish! And I agree about having Takhisis! Thanks for the commendation about naming out the Untouchables. Ah, you caught that that was inspired by Mean Girls?

Guan: Thanks, I've always wondered! Hope you enjoyed this chapter equally.


	16. Green With Envy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance, or Raistlin. Oh, fine. I don't own Dalamar either. Pouts The second segment of this chapter is dedicated to Childlike Empress for her idea.

**Green With Envy**

"Maeg? What's up?" Jess picked up her cell phone, speaking quietly so that her parents wouldn't hear her conversation as they drove home. "Interims came? Oh, that's cool. She did what!?" Jess practically yelled that last part as she heard about Takhisis failing all of them. She apologized to her parents before continuing in her previous hushed tone.

As Maeg related the rest of the afternoon and evening's events, Jess felt the jealousy growing within her. Though she truly was glad for her best friend, she couldn't help feel envious that the elven mage had asked Maeg out, while her chances of dating Raistlin were none and less than none. She hated herself for that jealousy, yet could help it less than she could help having glasses or not being tall. She tried to hide it from Maeg, though, knowing how much it would hurt the other girl. By the time she got home, she still had not decided what to do about it.

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The next day, the Lord of the Rings festival continued with the third movie. Since the movies were so long, Maeg and the mages had only been able to watch the first two. Therefore, both Earthlings met the mages the next morning after breakfast.

Raistlin, of course, was as caustic as always. While Dalamar was attempting to get the DVD player ready, Raistlin was criticizing the movies. "That Gandalf wizard seemed rather oblivious for one of his power. I can't believe he actually trusted Saruman! If anyone were anywhere near my ability level, I wouldn't trust them."

At this obvious slight, Dalamar winced. Seeing him, Maeg had to retort. "Gandalf is powerful enough that he can afford to trust people! For goodness' sake, he's a demigod! Anyway, he just pretends to be oblivious. He really does know more than he lets on." After the words left her mouth, Maeg realized her mistake. She'd likely just reinforced, if not given Raistlin, the idea that he needed to become a god.

"Any wizard worth his mettle could have prevented himself from falling off of the bridge with the Balrog." Raistlin was now muttering more than complaining, but his voice was still clearly audible. "That Sauron doesn't seem overly smart either. Evil has to gain more than those who are more beast than man on their side to win. Also, it is an incredibly idiotic thing to do to concentrate your power in one little piece of jewelry, to the point where you will be defeated if you lose it."

"That's true." Even Maeg had to concede that one.

"Were it me, I would have had the world in my grip within a couple of years."

Jess nodded in agreement. "Sauron is also a demigod, but admittedly, a rather stupid and weak one."

Finally, Dalamar had gotten the DVD in and started. Maeg would have helped him, but it seemed to her as though any piece of technology more advanced than a radio malfunctioned or broke upon her touch. With a satisfied smile, the elf started the movie and sat down on the couch. Jess was seated across the room from Raistlin, in another chair.

Despite Jess' unusual surliness that morning, in unspoken agreement, she and Maeg drove both mages up the wall by reciting lines along with the cast of the movie. Naturally, at Eowyn's slaying of the Witchking, both stood up, and pantomimed the scene, with an especially vehement "I am no man!"

During one of the drawn out battle scenes, Maeg snuggled closer to Dalamar and whispered to him. "How are we going to get Jess and Raistlin together?" Dalamar looked absolutely flabbergasted at the thought. "What? If there's ever been a person who needs a date, it's your Shalafi! And, I for one, know no one more qualified for that dubious pleasure than Jess."

Dalamar grinned at that. "True. You do have a point there. Perhaps I can say something to him." He grimaced slightly at the thought of talking about women and love with his formidable _Shalafi_.

Maeg grinned up at him. "You would? That's great. That would be so wonderful for Jess. I'll see if I can do anything slightly more subtle and quiet." They resumed watching the movie.

Finally, the movie ended. As always, Maeg was teary-eyed, because she always felt that the elves leaving that world was a horrible event, leaving the world bereft. Surprising, or perhaps not, Dalamar too was bright-eyed. Despite his emotionless façade, he still felt the loss of his homeland acutely, and the movie upset that old wound.

Seeing these displays of emotion made Raistlin roll his eyes visibly as they got up. Though Jess usually sympathized with her short friend, this time, she rolled her eyes as well. Maeg caught her eye, and her face showed hurt confusion. Jess pretended not to notice, so Maeg thought she might have just imagined it.

After she'd gotten her emotions under control, Maeg rushed to catch up with Raistlin and Jess in the kitchen. They were standing facing each other, and as Maeg rounded the corner, an idea was forming in her head. She took a step back to gain a bit more impulsion, and rushed just slightly to the right of Jess. As she passed, she made sure to shove Jess forward, pretending to have misjudged the distance between them.

As she'd known he would, Raistlin reached out so as not to let the other girl fall. "I'm so sorry!" Maeg's apology sounded a bit hollow, even to her, but she did manage to contain a grin at the sight of her friend in Raistlin's arms, both red as fire hydrants. "I guess I shouldn't race around when there are others around. Oops!" She smiled slightly, and saw Dalamar out of the corner of her eye, smirking from across the room where he'd just entered.

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After the girls had left for the day, Dalamar steeled himself and turned to his Shalafi. "For a human, Jess is rather attractive, is she not?" As he said it, Dalamar realized his mistake. Too late, however.

"How should I know? To me, all of them look like skeletons." Raistlin's voice was acidic, and Dalamar got the uncomfortable feeling that though he pretended confusion, his Shalafi knew exactly what he was trying to do. "Besides which, aren't you attached to that infuriating Maeg?"

Dalamar tried to figure out the best way to proceed. "I am." He hesitated, his second mistake.

"So now you're interested in my sister, Maeg, Jess, and anyone else?"

Dalamar blushed slightly. "No, Shalafi. Maeg is the only one on my mind right now. I thought perhaps…" He trailed off again, not wanting to upset the volatile Raistlin.

"So you do think." Now, Dalamar was quite sure that Raistlin was toying with him. "But I agree, Jess is rather intelligent for someone from this world. Are you suggesting that I initiate a romantic interlude with her, Apprentice?"

Dalamar's faint blush darkened. "I just… I…" Dalamar was stuttering with discomfort. "She'd say yes." Dalamar glanced once more at Raistlin before fleeing to his room in shame.

**A/N:** Well, I know it wasn't the longest of chapters, but it had to be in there. Hopefully the next will be longer. Review people, so I don't think you died!

Jade Limill: Glad you don't want to lock me up! I did mention that both girls own all of the books, however, at this point, Raistlin is only beginning to develop the idea of world domination through time travel. Because of this, neither mage wants to mess around with time, because they know that it would be complete chaos.

Elven-girl 10: Glad you enjoyed.

Ahn-Li: I'm happy you enjoyed my little tribute to your presence at the end. And after this chapter, I somehow doubt Raistlin will be wanting to teach me much of anything!

Guan: Ouch, that's not fair of your teacher! Once, an English teacher of mine lowered my grade just to show me I had room to improve. :-p I'm glad you like the first bits of romance.

Childlike Empress: Sorry, no killing. :-p And, I hope you don't mind me putting in a bit of LOTR bashing from Gandalf at your suggestion! And yeah, I never did think much of Boromir… Kind of like Sturm – he had to be dead for you to appreciate him! I did have a reason apart from this chapter for Jess not being there, so I'm glad you asked. As Jess is Maeg's best friend, she would have been the one to comfort her had she been present. Dalamar would have had no excuse whatsoever to trap her in a tiny half-bathroom.

The Scarletclad Mage: Well, if we band dorks (yes, I am also a band geek) have an elevated status in your school, I'd like to go there! No problem about reviewing your stories – they're very good! And I can definitely sympathize with loving reviews. I'm a total review (and mail in general) hog!

Alien21xx: I'll just write one note for 14 and 15, okay? So, on comments about 14: I'm your favorite? Thanks so much! Glad you understand my sometimes odd sense of humor! Sorry about the abruptness, I'll try to work on that. I agree, it should have been done with less 'scene-painting!' 15: Oh, no worries about laughing. I was chuckling myself as I imagined that line, as long as I was picturing it from the outside, not actually as my character! And I'm SO glad you liked my little romancy scene so much. I hoped that it would give Maeg the needed humanity. Thanks for all of your wonderful comments, suggestions, and praise!


	17. What Mages Wear

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I own neither of the mages. Not so sadly, I don't own Takhisis. Thankfully, I don't own the pickup line.

**What Mages Wear**

The next morning was school again. Dalamar, usually rather perky in the morning, was much more subdued than normal. Jess seemed to be avoiding Maeg, and because of that, Maeg was also not her usual self. Raistlin was surlier than ever, if that was possible. He kept shooting death-glares at Dalamar.

By this time, all of the people involved in the war on Raistlin's side new to get to class quickly, lest Takhisis change the bells so they'd get caught out of class. Before they sat down, Dalamar noticed Maeg's face take on a haunted expression at the reminder of her failure. He squeezed her hand gently, and she looked up at him, grateful. Suddenly, her expression changed to one of extreme determination. She nodded to him, and they took their seats.

"Well, I hope you all had good weekends." Takhisis' voice was honey-sweet, and she shot a malicious glance at Maeg and Jess in their respective corners. Maeg fought her emotions, and forced a carefree smile on her face. _"Think of Dalamar, think of Dalamar."_ She told herself this, trying not to concentrate on her grades.

"Oh, what a pity, you did." Takhisis looked miffed that none of the impromptu warriors seemed upset. "Well, I suppose its time for a pop quiz again." She handed out the quizzes.

Maeg looked at hers. As usual, it was her weakest point – recalling exact dates, and asked for about twenty random people she'd never heard of. _"Are you guys going to bother?"_ Now that she knew how to do magic, Maeg had found that she could use a magical form of telepathy to communicate with the others.

"_No."_ Raistlin was the first to reply, and his mental voice was scornful to the extreme.

"_I'm going to, just because she screwed up this time and gave me questions I can actually answer."_ Jess gave a slight mental laugh at the goddess' fallacy.

"_Unlike Jess, I have no idea who Suryavarman II is. Even if I felt like it, I couldn't."_ Dalamar sounded wry.

"_Hey, could we switch papers? Because of studying for a test really hard last year, I actually remember that one. If that's all of last year's work, I may actually know it."_ Maeg sounded pleased that she wouldn't have to embarrass herself again.

"_Be my guest."_ Maeg's paper disappeared from her desk, and she called Dalamar's from across the room. She smiled as she looked at the new test, which did indeed consist of material from the year before, a good portion of which she actually remembered.

"No talking, children." Takhisis' sharp voice broke through the silent room, where there hadn't been the slightest thought of conversation, save the telepathy. Everyone involuntarily flinched and looked up at the unexpected interruption, and when they did, Takhisis caught Maeg's gaze, telling her she knew exactly what happened. Maeg fought to keep her face carefully innocent and puzzled, and prayed that Takhisis was just bluffing because she felt magic in the air. When it came down to it, however, Maeg felt in her heart that Takhisis truly did know.

A minute before Maeg was finished, Takhisis told them to hand in their papers. As she rapidly glanced around, she saw that Jess and Dalamar were also still working, and she realized that that was how the goddess would deduct the points this time. Raistlin, however, was sitting with his pen down, hands folded. His facial expression reminded Maeg of a cat who'd just eaten a mouse. With a smirk, Takhisis collected the papers. For the rest of the class, she continued her lecturing.

When they left the class, Dalamar came over to Maeg. "I really admire my Shalafi." At Maeg's questioning gaze, he elaborated. "He is so brave. On his quiz, he didn't just not write anything. He actually insulted her. He insulted a goddess! A goddess!" Dalamar repeated himself in envious shock.

Maeg didn't like where that thought was going – it reminded her too much of the ending of War of the Twins. Feeling only a slight pang of guilt, she changed the subject on him. "What are we waiting for? When are we actually going to drive her away?"

Dalamar needed no explanation for who 'she' was. "It benefits neither of us to move too quickly. You'd have to ask my Shalafi to be sure, but I think we will probably do something once the school year ends. We'll have to think on it, because the best possible course of action would be to draw her away from here to somewhere where we'll have the advantage."

They walked into English class. During English, and for the rest of the day, Dalamar, Jess and Raistlin saw a strange sight. With focused energy, Maeg applied herself to something, allowing everything else around her to pass her by. She was obviously listening, because when a teacher called on her, she was able to answer easily. However, her usual fervor for class participation had completely disappeared. When asked what she was doing, all she would say was "my part."

Finally, it was lunchtime. As in all of the previous periods, Maeg was diligently bent over a textbook. After fifteen minutes of constant annoyance, Maeg gave in. "Stop bothering me. I'm memorizing every fucking person and date in this textbook. She will not make me give in because I know it's hopeless anyway. I may not actually be hurting her, but I'm doing my best to fight. Now, if you will allow me to continue?" Maeg's voice became harsh and acidic. All of her friends, surprised at the change that had come over their normally cheerful friend, subsided into a shocked silence.

For the rest of the day, feelings within the quartet were even more strained than they had been that morning. Finally, it was time to go home, and it was not a moment too soon. Maeg dropped some of her books in her locker, keeping out the books she'd need for homework, as well as her Global book, even though she'd already done the homework for that class. After angrily slamming her locker, she went over to Dalamar's locker to wait with him.

Had Maeg been a dog, her hackles would have gone up when Catalina walked over, swinging her hips. Dalamar saw Maeg's angry glance, and looked up at Catalina, a look of disdain crossing his face. "Yes?" His voice was sharp, but she ignored the dismissal and came over to link her arm in his.

"So, what do mages wear under their robes?" Maeg was practically growling now. She'd seen Catalina holding the Legends series while the popular girl thought that no one was looking, but Maeg hadn't thought she'd do anything that drastic. Seeing that Maeg was ready to leap at the other girl as her temper snapped, Dalamar put a quelling finger on her lips, and turned to Catalina.

Though he wasn't doing it intentionally, had Dalamar been able to see his own face, he would have recognized the expression as one that elf lords used to frequently wear in his presence. It was an expression that told anyone caught in its gaze that they were lower than worms, who at least had a place in nature. It was an expression that said that the person wearing it would step on the person caught in its gaze, save for the fact that they wouldn't dirty their boots with such slime.

Dalamar looked down at Catalina with that gaze, but she seemed not to notice it. She was still smiling seductively up at him. Dalamar blinked. "You're not that big."

Catalina looked at him, puzzled. She had a feeling he'd just insulted her, but could not figure out what about. Suddenly, in a burst of insight, she realized he was talking about her chest. For a few seconds, she could do nothing but sputter. Finally, she found her voice, and pointed to Maeg. "Well, if I'm not, she definitely isn't!"

Dalamar took on a tone that was reminiscent of a teacher explaining something for the hundredth time to an especially dull student. "Be as that may, she didn't try to use the cheesiest pick-up line on both your world and mine; a line that only works if you are 'that big'. Now, if you will excuse us, we were just leaving." He took Maeg's hand and led her away. Maeg could only gape in astonishment.

"Now, aren't you glad you let me handle it?" Dalamar's voice was wry as he tried to cheer his friend up.

For the first time that day, a true smile lit Maeg's face. "Yes. And, I'm very glad to know that you didn't actually fall for that pick-up line itself. I've always worried."

"I'm not _that_ shallow." The two bickered companionably for the rest of the day.

Over the next week, Maeg got a slightly drawn look to her, as she spent all of her free time studying the Global textbook. Finally, Takhisis gave another pop quiz on Friday. Maeg had been careful never to let Takhisis see her with the book, and Catalina's group didn't notice anything different about her behavior, since she always was doing extra work. When the goddess of Evil handed out the test, it again was names and dates.

Maeg smiled. Finally, something she knew. She finished the test quickly, too quickly for Takhisis to call time. When it was collected, she too had the look of satisfaction that Raistlin always wore after writing a page full of insults. Finally, all of her work had paid off.

**A/N:** Yeah, I know, its short. I'm sorry! I'll try to be longer the next time. If not the next chapter, I can promise the chapter after that. Hope you all enjoyed, and are about to press that nice blue-ish button at the bottom of the screen that says Submit Review: Go!

Jade Limill: Well, we can't have people thinking that I'm showing Dalamar unfair favoritism, now can we? As to the girls ages… I don't think I said directly, but they're both in eleventh grade, which makes them seventeen.

Kurai Catt: Glad you're intrigued so far. And yes, the mental picture of Dalamar on a motorcycle is rather nice, isn't it? Oh, and if you don't mind the shameless plug, I noticed you like both Drizzt and LOTR. May I point you to ESGAME written by Nightwing Writers? It's a humor piece I co-wrote with Petalwing. Welcome to my story!

Guan: Good point about Raistlin, but I think even he would blush in that situation. If not, I apologize! Glad you liked my little debate.

Elvengirl10: Oh, apologies for that. Yes, I do know that they're not demi-gods, it was just the easiest explanation I could give without going into the 10-page summary of Middle-Earth mythology. Sorry again, I'd been hoping no one would notice and/or mind! Blush Hope you liked otherwise.

Childlike Empress: Glad you enjoyed that. It was very fun to write, as was the "they all look like skeletons" part. And truth to be told, even I'm not sure when Raistlin is actually going to grow some balls… Looks around nervously I didn't say that…

Hilary: No problem about missing the last one. Yeah, sometimes I do feel bad for doing that to Dalamar, but I got so many complaints about Raistlin being too nice in the beginning…

Alien21xx: Did I ever mention I love you? Anyway, sadly, your so funny it wasn't made perfect sense to me. I was actually between laughing and attempting to hug an insubstantial thought of Dalamar as I wrote it. Thanks so much for saying this is your favorite fic – that means so much to me! And hopefully, this will have been soon enough that I'll escape any unnatural burns. Thanks for your lovely reviews and continued support!

Pet: Yay, you're back! Here's responses to all of your loverly reviews: 14) You know, I never actually saw that show. I really should, though, because so many people joke about it… 15) So, you liked my pillow… er… toilet talk? I'm glad you think that this scene took away from Maeg's sueishness. About her grade, she didn't think she was getting an A, but its one thing to know something, and quite another to see it in print. 16) Why do you think the job got dumped on Dalamar? You don't think that "I" would be crazy enough to do something like that, did you? Too true about them being our devoted slaves. I mean, take Dalamar for example: he threatens to leave my Mary-Sue, I threaten to ban him from ESGAME, and then remind him he's chained to the bed…chair that is, of course!


	18. All Bad Days Must End

**Disclaimer:** Mine, my precioussss… Okay, so maybe I don't actually own it…

**A/N:** Okay, I know this is a short chapter, but more will be written soon. Due to this story's high Sue rating, I frequently get very disgusted with it, so I don't update for a while. However, the glowing encouragement from my wonderful reviewers has spurred me to pick it up once more. Anyway, there's been a rather sizeable jump in time, so don't get confused. As I said, this chapter is short, but the next one will be the next thing I write, and as we draw nearer to the end, the chapters should be coming more frequently. (I hope…) Oh, I nearly forgot: this chapter goes out to my own bitchy Global teacher, who inspired some of the dialogue.

**All Bad Days Must End**

A few weeks later in Global, Maeg was impressed to hear that Takhisis actually let the announcements continue. Not that it mattered, since they were the normal assortment of team scores that no one cared about, fundraising activities that no one would go to, some student council meeting that the few people who were members would sleep through, and so on. The only different announcement was about the prom, which Maeg very much wanted to avoid. Four hundred dollar dresses, loud music, and insanely late parties were never her scene, and she'd been planning not to go to prom since she learned what it was. Despite the monotony of the announcements, Maeg was still impressed that they were played.

Warily, Maeg watched Takhisis' ever-growing smirk through the announcements. As they drew to a close with the sickeningly cheery student president's "Have a fabulous Tuesday!" Takhisis flowed out of her seat. Despite her hate for the goddess, Maeg had to admit that she was still the most beautiful, graceful woman that she'd ever seen. Well, that was only true at the moment if you counted a truly evil smile beautiful.

"I have some quizzes to give back to you, from the last several weeks. I am sorry to inform you that a few of your classmates have been cheating. I have been saving up the quizzes in the hope that these people would refrain from further infractions, but it has not yet happened. If anyone feels like owning up to something now, or revealing the intentions of a fellow cheater, I might be lenient." She peered around at the class, but there was no reaction.

"I suppose if no one is brave enough to admit that they were cheating, I will have to call the culprits to the front of the room, and they may shred their own papers. Maeg and Jess?"

For a second, Takhisis' intentions were not clear to Maeg. Her immediate thought was that the goddess wanted her to help hand out the quizzes. Then, it clicked. Despite the fact that she knew that nothing was too low for the Goddess of Evil, she could not help but let out an indignant squeak. "I would never ch…"

Takhisis cut her off. "I do not appreciate people insinuating that I am lying." She shot a death glare at Maeg, and then turned it on Jess, daring her to say something else. Neither was that stupid. Meekly, both girls stood and walked to the front of the room. To those who knew her well, it was obvious that the emotional Maeg was trying to hold back tears. She bit the inside of her lip so as not to let her eyes tear.

With obvious relish, Takhisis took out the pile of quizzes. Despite the fact that there was some sort of law against this, Takhisis read out names and grades. "Catalina: 95. Raistlin: 0. Taylor: 90. Alicia: 85. Dalamar: 5. Ah, here's one. Maeg: 99. There you go." She handed the piece of paper to Maeg. "Don't just stand there looking at it. Tear it up." There was silence as Maeg took her sterling paper in quavering hands. She made herself not look as she slowly tore it in half. Seeing Takhisis still looking at her, she tore it once more. She tore it three times more in silence so think a steak knife would have had trouble cutting it. Despair was evident in Maeg's watery eyes as she allowed the shredded papers to fall to the floor.

Next, it was Jess' turn. She was never as dedicated a student as Maeg, and there was open defiance in her eyes as she tore up the paper that she had done very well on. Rather than letting the paper drift to the floor, she threw it, and stepped on it as it fell. Her eyes were locked on Takhisis, in silent challenge. Takhisis just smiled, and continued to hand out papers. Anyone who showed any hint of friendship to the Krynnish mages failed. Abstractly, Maeg realized that the reason that the mages weren't up there with Jess and herself was that they had gotten such bad grades that it was easier just to fail them. In the course of the class, Maeg and Jess had to rip up at least five more quizzes.

By the time class was over, Maeg was shaking and even Jess looked pale. In their shared pain, they were once again close comrades, despite Jess' coolness towards Maeg that still hadn't gone away. Dalamar, however, had a satisfied smirk on his face. Seeing Maeg glaring daggers at him for smiling, he jumped to defend himself. "While our beloved teacher was talking at us, I was amusing myself by rearranging Catalina's folder. And everyone else's'. I doubt any of that group is going to be able to find their homework for the rest of the day."

Even Maeg and Jess had to grin at that. "He was covering for me." Raistlin interjected. "I was rearranging Takhisis' desk." He smirked. "Because of the magic already in the air, it will be harder for her to pinpoint any one of us."

They headed off to English class. For the rest of the day, Maeg was very sensitive to everything, and Jess was ready to bite anyone's head off at the drop of a dime. The two Krynnish mages were getting frustrated with the humans by the time the day was over. They kept with the plan to go to Raistlin and Dalamar's house, however, because as the end of the school year drew near, so did the inevitable confrontation with Takhisis. The mages wanted to go over more spells with Maeg and Jess because their mental magic was going to be critical for the success of the battle.

"I heard on the announcements today about something called prom. What is it?" Raistlin's tone was even more clipped than normal. The bad mood that the girls were in was catching.

Maeg made a face. "Its stupid. It's a big dance were they play obnoxious music too loudly, girls spend thousands of dollars on preparations, and everyone gets drunk afterwards." Her normally uncharitable description of prom was made even more acerbic by the effects of the day.

Rasitlin sighed. "You realize that we will have to go."

Both Maeg's and Jess' faces acquired expressions of horror. "You're not serious, are you?" Jess was incredulous.

"I'm very serious. This is likely to be the largest gathering of students of your age that Takhisis will be able to get to, at least for now. We must not allow her to control the rest of your class." Raistlin looked hesitant about something, a rare experience for him. Glaring at Dalamar for nudging him, Raistlin continued. "Jess, would you go with me?"

Jess realized that if she asked the first question that came to mind, _you mean, as your date?_, Raistlin would deny he ever asked. So instead, she simply said, "Yes."

For the first time in days, Maeg smiled; a true smile that stemmed, not from malicious pleasure at a trick played on Takhisis, not from satisfaction at seeing Catalina embarrassed, but from happiness, pure and simple, that her friend had something good happen. Jess caught her eye and grinned back. They realized then that their feud had been reconciled, forgiven, and was never going to be repeated, no matter what the circumstances.

Her day having turned around, Maeg continued to smile. "So, I suppose that will leave Dalamar and myself in the corner away from the speakers, popping Advil for our headaches at record rates."

Dalamar smiled wryly back. "I suppose so."

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed. Now, please review! Remember, criticism is welcome, but stay civil! First though, I should make one large response to a frequently made comment: Several of you expressed a thought that Dalamar really should be more evil. Due to the nature of this chapter, I was not able to work on that yet, but I am not ignoring you. Sometimes, I tend to see Dalamar through rose-tinted glasses, and I need your input to remind me he really is an evil mage. So, hopefully, Dalamar will be getting a bit darker very soon. Thanks for your honest opinions, people! Now, to individual responses:

Childlike Empress: About giving Dalamar the limelight, well, guilty as charged. How can a human (no matter how awesomely sinister) hope to compete with a totally sexy elf? Hopefully, this chapter continued your observations about where Raistlin's courage lies.

Jade Limill: Hehe, glad you find me so humorous! I try, but sometimes I feel like I'm falling short. Ah, their parents… The horrible question I have been dreading since day one. For lack of a better answer, no. You can either say that they have the really oblivious parents that all kids wish for at some point in their lives, or, that since Maeg and Jess were always at each other's houses anyway, their parents have not gotten suspicious about their frequent absences, whichever you prefer. Sorry for leaving such a big plot hole!

Elven-girl10: Glad you liked the chapter. Yeah, I didn't feel like explaining the whole Maiar thing, since I figured that either, my readers already know who they really are, or they don't overly care. In either case, if they wanted to know, they could just read the Silmarillion, or try to figure it out from some of the LOTR stories. Hope you are still enjoying.

Kurai Catt: I hope this chapter has not been a disappointment to the trend you've felt (and so nicely put into a review! ). And yes, high school is a bummer!

Pet: Heh… I just had to do something with that line. Just had to. And I'm in complete agreement about your moral of the chapter!

Cobra1984: As of now, Dalamar has no ulterior motives. But never fear, he will get more evil. Glad you're enjoying despite the flaws in my characterization up to this point.

Kenderling: I'm glad to hear I'm one of your favorites! Thanks for the praise. And never fear, there will still be tension even though Jess and Maeg are good friends again. Hope you are still reading!

Skie the Blue: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you're still following.

Wytchkat: Glad you're enjoying! As I said above, Dalamar will become more evil due to input from reviewers like you. Thanks for the great and honest review.

Kilyn Bloodstone: Heh, I couldn't spell if my life depended on it… Hopefully, that has not interfered with the flow of the story. I will try for more humor, though, as the story progresses, the whole thing will likely take on a darker tone.

Bookworm01: I'll try for longer chapters (this one being an exception) in general. Glad you are liking it!

Kari2005: Wow, thanks so much! I really appreciate the praise – it helps break down writer's blocks like a battering ram!

Evenstar02: Heh, glad you like my story. Actually, I don't really know a Mrs. Poveronti – I made the name up for the sake of internet privacy! LOL. Thanks for the praise!

Fetch-thranduilion: LOL – actually, I don't even listen to them, but they're the real "Jess"' favorite band also, so I knew about the song. Wow, it is a small world. I'll have to check out some of your stuff sometime soon. Speaking of weird parallels, your story The Recovering Evil Madmen Support Group looks similar (from the summary at least) to a story I co-wrote called ESGAME (Elven Support Group for Abused and Mistreated Elves). Hope you're still reading!


	19. Scare Tactics

**Disclaimer:** If after all of these disclaimers, you still think I own this, well, lets just say that I'm surprised that a gully dwarf figured out how to get on this site.

**Scare Tactics**

The rest of that week, and the next passed slowly. Takhisis had not publicly humiliated anyone, but her silence only put a great sense of foreboding on the Krynnish mages and their impromptu allies. "You are _not_ going to get me into a dress." Joan complained the night before the dance at the mages' weekly meeting.

Raistlin sighed. They had already had to persuade Rebecca that she needed a new, really fancy, dress. "Come on. No one will care," Maeg wheedled. "Even I'm wearing a dress, and you know how much I hate stockings!" For once, Maeg and Raistlin were on the same side, for, despite Maeg's reluctance to go to any school dance, she understood the importance of this one.

"Now," Raistlin called the group to order. "Remember, you must take the mind of anyone you can lock eyes with. I will create an illusion so that everyone who has been taken over by our coven will get my rather conspicuous eyes, rather than the normal colored ones that you all have. This way, you will not be fighting each other for allies we already have. It is crucial that among you, you manage to take everyone who is not directly allied with the Goddess. Anyone you don't she will use."

Dalamar looked at the group with serious eyes. "Remember, you must use as much force as necessary. If someone is resisting, it is because Takhisis already has him or her in her clutches. It is better to be incapacitated then to be Her pawn. If you feel you cannot do what is needed, call one of us over silently, or place a tracing spell on your target. We will be there as quickly as possible." Maeg shuddered at those implications. No matter how much she disliked anyone, she was squeamish about any casualties in this war.

Raistlin resumed speaking, with a glare at his apprentice for cutting in. "Lenny, I presume that you have learned enough about smaller weapons to make yourself useful?" His voice was acidic; Lenny reminded him so much of his brother that Raistlin had stopped even trying to be civil.

Unlike Caramon, however, Lenny was quite aware that he had been insulted, and again contrasting Caramon, would not take it meekly. "Do you think I've spent the past month doing nothing?" This question was obviously rhetorical, since Lenny had dropped at least a pound a day since he had started to work with Kiri-Jolith. "I have plenty of weapons, large and small, enchanted against evil." He left it at that, leaving the mages to interpret whether he meant it as a threat or simply a statement of what is.

Maeg looked pained; she hated how the group had so many arguments. Despite her own disagreements with Raistlin, she worked hard to keep them either to herself, or to berate him in private so as not to add even more tension to the group. "Hey, Lenny, after this is all over, would you teach me swordplay?"

He grinned, the insult all but forgotten. "Sure. And once you've learned, I'll still kick your butt." Maeg smiled back – at least she and Lenny were still able to bicker amiably as they always had.

"We'll see about that." She mock-glared threateningly, still grinning. Raistlin cleared his throat murderously. With a slight true glare his way, Maeg stopped laughing and grew serious once more.

"So…" Jess, noting Maeg's plan, searched around for something to say to break the tension once more. "We're all set for the limo?" They'd decided that there was safety in numbers, so they'd all go to the dance in a limo. The question was rhetorical, so none of the Earthlings bothered to answer.

Raistlin was already peeved about all of the hesitations and the interruptions, so his voice was harsh. "Yes, we have already established that the limo is fine. Must we go over this endlessly? How many repetitions does it take to get things set into your extremely small minds?" Thus steaming, he stood abruptly. "Everyone will need their rest for tomorrow. Do as you wish, but I am leaving."

With that, he disappeared, gone to his own home. Jess looked mortified at having been berated by her idol and prom date. With a shrug, Dalamar disappeared to, and after that, the others silently got up and departed for their cars. Maeg, who was sleeping over at Jess' house, where the meeting had been held, touched her friend's shoulder in sympathy, and then failed to hold back a yawn.

"Much as I hate to admit it, he's right. We do all need a lot of sleep tonight." Knowing she'd want to go to sleep right after the meeting, Maeg had changed into her pajamas beforehand. With another yawn, she crawled into the pullout bed and pulled the sheets over her head to create her own little darkness. With a sigh, Jess soon followed suit, turning off the lights before she did.

The next morning was Thursday, the day before a long weekend, and the day of prom. Maeg woke up suddenly, half a minute before the alarm clock went off. She glanced out the window out of instinct; the sky was a threatening color of deepest grey. She jumped once more, heart in her throat, when the clock started to beep. She wondered what manner of ill dream had left her in such a state of unrest. She shrugged it off, placing it in the back of her mind as she always did with troubles that could not be dealt with.

When they got to school, all of the magi were edgy, not sure what to expect from Takhisis. However, the quiet of the past couple of weeks continued, and nothing unusual happened. Finally, it was time to go back home to get ready.

After showering and getting changed, all of the ladies in the coterie met at Maeg's house to finish primping. Despite the fact that she almost never cared enough to do anything, Maeg was pretty good with curling or straightening hair and applying makeup, and was helping some of the other girls. With a bit of help for the back, her own hair was a mass of ringlets, thick banana curls that streamed down her back. She wore a dress of pale turquoises, blues and greens.

Jess was currently in Maeg's computer chair, the impromptu barber's seat. She was getting a lock on either side of her head curled, and the rest was already in a tight bun at the back. A deep maroon dress hugged her figure. Joan was standing to the side, looking uncomfortable in a dark blue gown that had transformed her normal tom-boyish appearance into that of a lady.

Rebecca wore a dress of deep forest green. She too was helping with hair, though, like Maeg, her usual styles were simple and functional. She was trying to tease Maria's thick, curly hair into a braided masterpiece. Maria wore a dress of bright red. As the girls primped, they talked.

"What do you think Dalamar meant by his warning?" Rebecca finally broached the topic that they had all been carefully avoiding. Everyone in the room shuddered slightly.

Jess looked around. "He meant exactly what he said. Lets just not think about it, and get going. I'm sure that everyone will be fine." Her words rang hollow, even to herself.

Even though the answer was not a satisfying one, no one wanted to dwell on that subject for any longer than they had to. They all put the finishing touches on their makeup, and walked across the street to the mages' house, where the limo would be picking them up. The mages greeted them on the driveway, and to everyone's surprise, they had completely dropped their Glamours and were dressed in their best robes. Everett and Lenny were standing with the mages, looking completely out of place in perfectly normal tuxedoes.

"Those who know nothing will remember nothing, and those who already know about us will not be affected." Raistlin answered the shocked stares on all of the girls' faces. He made a courtly bow to Jess, and took her arm. She flushed in pleasure, and Maeg made her way over to Dalamar.

Finally, the limo came. The driver got out of the car, and opened the doors for the mages and teens to get in. As the ladies started over, Dalamar and Raistlin exchanged a glance. Suddenly, they shot into action. "Don't get in! Get down!" Dalamar screamed as he raced towards the girls. The girls, who had gone in front of the men, stopped in puzzled shock.

"Wha-" Maeg began to speak, when she was hit by Dalamar, who, in an act of desperation, had flung himself at the girls and pushed them all to the ground. As they fell, a searing blast of heat fell over them, scorching Dalamar's back, as well as some stray locks of hair from various teens. Seeing that Dalamar was winded from his flight, Raistlin cast a shield over his apprentice and their young charges as the car exploded and sent shrapnel flying across up the driveway and across the yard. Not pausing to so much as blink, he entrapped the chauffer, who had pushed the button.

Everett raced down to the fallen teens, and Lenny sped towards the chauffer. Within seconds, Lenny had a sharp dagger out and at the man's throat. Raistlin sighed audibly. Some people never learned tact. However, he supposed, another guard on the man couldn't hurt. About the same time, Everett's long legs got him to the bottom of the driveway where there was a sizeable pileup in all colors of the spectrum, looking like a macabre rainbow.

"Is everyone all right?" He helped Dalamar up from on top of the teens. He began pulling the shaken girls from the ground.

Dalamar flexed his shoulders experimentally. "Its not a bad burn. I'm worried that some of the ladies may have gotten hurt in the fall." Indeed, the girls on the bottom had torn their dresses and scraped their knees and elbows as they hit the hard pavement. Everett, at silent command from Dalamar, went to help his yearmates first. Maeg, who was near the top, due to waiting with Jess for the mages to catch up, hurled herself into Dalamar's arms. Her breathing was harsh in terror, and she clutched at his robes desperately. Dalamar held her close, trying to ignore the throbbing burns on his back.

Jess was dealing with her fear only a bit better, and had walked unsteadily up the way to where Raistlin was standing. She stopped a foot in front of him, but then, almost as an afterthought flung herself at the frail mage. For a minute, he could only stare in shock at the slim body pressed against his. He then put his arms around hesitantly, awkwardly, and spoke quietly to her until she calmed down.

Everett was trying his best to calm the other girls, healing their scrapes effortlessly. He caught Lenny's eye, and called the bigger boy over to stay with the girls while he went to heal Dalamar's back. After Maeg and Jess had calmed down a bit, the mages made their way down to the wreckage of the limo to survey the damage.

Due to Everett's quick and efficient healing, the only problem remaining were the many rips and tears in the fancy dresses of the girls. Looking for something to keep her shaking hands busy, Rebecca took the hem of her dress in her hands and concentrated. Soon, the hole had disappeared as she made the fabric of the dress weave itself back together. She turned to her peers to help them as well.

As she worked, Rebecca's face grew grim. She could not help but think about what had just transpired. Ever the practical one, she turned to Raistlin. "She just tried to kill us." Her voice was blunt, and there was no need to explain who "She" was.

Raistlin answered quickly and definitively, surprising everyone with his answer. "No." He rolled his eyes at the teens looks of shock and disbelief. "She tried to scare us. She knew that even my apprentice would have realized something was wrong with that car and driver. She also knew that, among us, we'd easily be able to heal any minor injuries that were sustained. On top of that, she knows, as we all do, that whichever side causes the most destruction first will be the side that will lose."

Joan looked at him quizzically. "What? Why?" Her voice was incredulous.

Raistlin's voice became patient with the strain of having to spell everything out for lesser mortals. "You live in a town untouched by warfare. You and your peers should be fearing nothing more than the self-destruction all teens are capable of causing. If there are any casualties, it will bring both sides into this new, harsh reality too abruptly. You do not want to see any of your peers die, no matter how much you may despise them. If I killed one of them, you would be quick to rethink your alliance, as would those on Takhisis' side. True, some of them are bound to her blindly, but it takes too much energy for her to do that for all of her followers. If any of you had gotten killed in the blast, we would have gained support from most of the people on her side, as well as most of the town. She's too smart to let that happen. Now, we must get going so that we're not late."

Maeg stared at the mage in shock. First, his cold-blooded speech, not reassuring them or comforting them, just saying that they hadn't died because it would be a bad tactical move on the Goddess' part. Then, actually suggesting that they continue on as if nothing had happened. "You actually expect us koo goe koo hroom afffer awl hoffat?" The last part of her sentence was muffled by Dalamar's patient hand over her mouth.

Raistlin smirked. "Of course I expect you to continue on. I told you, she wanted to scare us. We must not admit that she did, whether it is true or not. Now, hurry. We cannot afford to lose time. Every minute we tarry is another minute she can use to get a stronger hold on the general populace."

**A/N:** Well, I was thinking about going farther in this chapter, but I decided I'd rather post today. By the way, I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I make for my Art: it took me several minutes with my hand over my mouth to figure out how to phonetically type a very muffled "to go to prom after all of that". So, please, review! Constructive criticism is welcome! Oh, I nearly forgot: I did not forget about the limo driver, he will be dealt with in the next chapter. Now, to answer all of my lovely reviewers!

Lazy.kender: I'm so sorry! I didn't see a review for chapter 17 from you, but I may've just missed it. Oops! And I agree, Raistlin asking Jess out definitely made the day a lot better!

Wytchkat: Heh, I think he figured out long ago that modern schoolgirls are way more complicated than elven politics!

Jade Limill: Um, oops. That's the problem with not updating in forever – I forget who had an alias and who didn't! Thanks for being such a careful reader!

Kari2500: Yeah, by now, Takhisis has become an amalgam of my English teacher and my real global teacher. Hehe, I'm glad you liked Raistlin's little dilemma. Thanks for all of the praise. And by the way, seeing reviews (especially long ones like yours!) makes me jump for joy!

Pet: Hmm, were I really in that position, I think I would definitely opt for dating the hot evil wizard and suffering the consequences! Hope to talk with you soon!

Fetch-thranduilion: Wow, you actually liked that chapter? I'm glad someone did – I hated it! I hope you don't mind – I decided to use your idea about putting Raist and Dally into their robes rather than tuxes. Um, the only other person in this story whith a fanfiction account is "Jess", whose penname is Rivin Tarinius Majere. Oh, I'm sorry, I cannot answer your question about exactly what Raistlin is writing on these quizzes: I don't want to have to rate this "M" (or whatever that new rating is…) for a response to a reviewer!

Evenstar02: Don't worry, he won't get really evil, just a bit 'darker'. Thanks for the compliments on characterization!

Elven-girl10: Thanks for the lovely review. I will definitely try to keep up the tensions.

Kenderling: Glad you like my story so much. I have similar reactions to reviewers! Thanks for saying that this story isn't too Sue-ish. I did understand what you were saying in your review, and I really appreciate it, because my worst fear is creating an insufferable Sue that is impossible to kill. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Kilyn: Hmm, I look forward to seeing Fie (my dear muse) attempt to persuade Raistlin he has to dance!

Raablyn: Wow, thanks for all of the great reviews! Is there somewhere (or somebook) that I could learn Drow? I've started on the Forgotten Realms books recently (most specifically the R.A. Salvatore ones) and would love to add Drow to the list of languages that I know a smattering of words in. Oh, about the Star Wars made up movie title, I was just trying to think of something that I'd like to see, and the chapter was written sometime near when I started posting, so I did not yet know the real name. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! (And now, I have over 150 reviews! OMG!)


	20. Dancing Through Life

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that is not mine.

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Jade Limill, who broke my writer's block by reminding me that there are worse things than fanfic Sues – namely, canon ones. I would also like to thank Valgoruth, my wonderful beta who agreed to read over even my Sue story! Please note – dialogue in italics indicates telepathy. So, in the spirit of an English queen, I give you chapter 20, and say, "Let them read tripe!"

**Dancing Through Life**

The group looked about for another second, still shaken from their ordeal. "Well, we will have to break up into smaller groups to drive to prom." Dalamar decided to take charge.

Maeg tried to smile. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. What is it about elves and the need to state what is common knowledge?" She squeezed his hand lightly to let him know that she was kidding. Suddenly, a thought seemed to occur to her. "Can I ride your motorcycle?"

Dalamar gaped at her. She had never asked before, and Dalamar had thought that the Earth girl might be afraid of the precarious vehicle. "I guess. Won't it ruin your dress?" He still wasn't quite sure what prompted this sudden change in heart.

"If anything happens to it, Rebecca can fix it." Maeg smiled, suddenly realizing what he was so surprised about. "A near-death experience gives one certain different perspectives about danger. You may have anticipated the danger, or lack thereof, but I definitely didn't!" Her thoughts seemed to echo the thoughts of the others.

"Jess, you should take my car, since it's bigger than yours. You know where I keep my keys." Now that she had a purpose, Maeg seemed to get control of herself again. "We should get going before Takhisis gets too much of a head start." She marched back up the driveway towards the garage, hiding fear behind activity.

Dalamar hurried to catch up with her, as the others argued over who had the biggest, sturdiest cars. "Do you think this is wise?" He sounded concerned over Maeg's new recklessness.

"Hell, if we can't defend ourselves, who can?" She used magic to lift the garage door, and hustled in, grabbing the extra helmet off of a shelf. She moved to the left side of the motorcycle, hitched up her skirts, and swung her leg over the top. She waited impatiently as Dalamar got himself on in front of her.

"Hold on. And don't lean against the turns."

Maeg hugged the elf close. She picked her feet off of the floor of the garage, and placed them on the footrests. Out of habit born of years of horseback riding, she pushed her high heels down awkwardly. She hadn't had time to ride in several years, but there were some things that time could not take away.

Suddenly, they started to move. Maeg got a sudden feeling of insecurity and falling, but it exhilarated her rather then scaring her as it would normally. She cried out in joy, hair streaming out behind her, as they zoomed down the driveway and made a sharp turn onto the street. The pair got to the hall where the dance was being held ten minutes before the rest of their group arrived, and to kill time Dalamar drove in figure eights around the parking lot. Naturally, despite outrageous speeding, they had met no policemen on the way, and the roads had been unnaturally clear.

Finally, the rest of the mages arrived. Everyone stood at attention while Rebecca twitched the Earthlings' dresses and tuxes back into order. Maeg especially was glad because of her friend's talent for fabric magic, since her skirts were hopelessly wrinkled from her wild ride. Finally, they were completely ready. Maeg and Jess happily took the proffered arms of their respective Krynnish mages, and the group walked in the door together.

Prom this year was being held in a local hotel, and tables of light hors-d'oeuvres were scattered around the lobby. "Remember," as Raistlin spoke, his voice was caustic. "We are here to make sure that Takhisis does not gain new followers. We will now split up and mingle. Anyone whose mind you take will gain eyes that look like mine. Anyone without golden eyes must be assumed to have been taken by Takhisis. Trust no one outside of this coven, even if we appear to have taken him or her. If you meet with trouble, call for Dalamar or myself. Be careful not to draw too much attention to yourselves."

At the archmagus' command, the group split up and started to mingle. Maeg took Dalamar's hand, and they began to walk towards the tables on the opposite side of the room. As they passed people, Maeg tried to catch their eyes with hers. If she could establish eye contact with someone as she passed, she was able to breach the other person's mind. Once there, it was fairly simple to put up artificial walls to keep out other intruders, and leave a small thread of magic connecting the other student to herself. It took a lot less magic to leave only shreds of control in many people than to completely command one, so it was not too difficult for Maeg and Dalamar to achieve. In not too long a time, the two started to notice more and more golden-eyed students among the crowd.

"So, are we having fun yet?" After they had traversed the room, Maeg was starting to get bored with this game of magic. "Ooh, mini spring rolls!" Her boredom was suddenly broken by the arrival of wandering serving people with trays of hot food. After a couple of minutes, though, that got old as well.

Finally, after having to compliment several casual acquaintances on their 'lovely' dresses, Maeg pulled a camera out of her deceptively small purse. Dalamar eyed her incredulously. "How did that fit?"

Maeg grinned. "Never doubt what a woman can do with a purse!" She opened the aforementioned tiny bag. As Dalamar stared, she handed him a cell phone, a large pack of tissues, a small bag with some pain killers, a few dollars, several packets of small blobular things that Dalamar didn't recognize, and her lipstick. The purse was about two inches tall and six inches long. Dalamar shook his head in wonder as Maeg stuffed it all back, leaving the camera out.

"Hehe, now, for the real fun." Maeg grinned at Dalamar's confused look. "I'm going to try to get all of the most hideous dresses on camera! And of course, I'm going to need several pictures of us."

For the next half-hour, she and Dalamar continued to wander around, taking pictures of people they either liked or liked to laugh at, and enthralling any of the general populace who was not already wearing the golden-eyed mark of the mages' allies. Finally, they were allowed in to the ballroom itself.

"This isn't too bad," Dalamar remarked as they wandered around trying to find their table. Maeg had to admit that he was right. She was shocked to hear that the DJ was playing some light jazz, nice and quietly. She wondered how long it would last. Finally, the group was able to find their table. Of course, they were set up in no numerical order, but eventually everyone was able to find their place. The group had applied for a table together, and luckily, Takhisis hadn't felt the need to destroy the table arrangements.

When they sat down, there were already plates of salad at their places, but no one was very eager to touch them, as they looked as though they'd been sitting there for the past hour. Maeg ate the carrots off of the top of her plate, but made a face when she tasted the lettuce.

The friends rolled their eyes as the people were filing in. Takhisis, who seemed to have taken over preparations for prom from the regular supervisor, got on the DJ's microphone and was commanding everyone to take their seats so that dinner might be served. Of course, the majority of the people were only milling around because they couldn't find their tables! In the lull, Maeg whipped out her camera again and insisted on taking pictures of everyone at the table. She then vowed to get a different picture of Raistlin later, one in which he wasn't giving her even more of a glare than normal.

Finally, everyone was seated, and "Miss Virago" announced that dinner would be brought around. The waitstaff began circling the room, and it was not long before a waitress laden with plates had reached their tables.

"Who wants rare?" The waitress sounded utterly bored and annoyed that she was being paid to do her job. Without waiting for an answer, she swung one of the plates around and tried to put it down in front of Dalamar.

Noting that the elf looked as though he were about to throw up at the sight of the fuchsia steak, Maeg stepped in. "He registered to get a vegetarian plate." The surly waitress glared at Maeg, and tried to put the plate down in front of her instead. "Um, is there anything more well done?" Maeg didn't particularly favor eating steak that looked as though it was still mooing either.

If possible, the woman's glare increased. "Raise your hand if you want rare," the woman huffed. Even Jess, who normally liked her steaks on the rare side, did not want to brave the bloody meat. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" The waitress gave the table a dirty look to match any of Raistlin's, and moved on.

Within a minute, another waitress came over. "So, who wants rare?" This one at least looked as though she had applied for the job willingly. She did seem rather intimidated, however, by the unusual-looking 'children' who were seated at the table.

Wanting to prevent Raistlin from snapping, Rebecca cut in. "We had asked for more well-done meat, if you don't mind. And he," she pointed at Dalamar, "Had requested the vegetarian plate."

The more amiable waitress moved on without comment. It took a good ten minutes at least, and at least three more disappointed waitresses, before the cooked meat came out. This time, Maeg accepted the meat that had nearly been placed in front of Dalamar, and everyone seemed much happier with his or her food. It was only a second before another waiter came by to drop off Dalamar's vegetarian meal. Once everyone had been served, they began to eat.

Suddenly, Maria mage a gagging noise. She had cut into her meat, which looked to be an end cut that was blackened to perfection. When she cut into the meat, however, it ended up being as brilliant a pink as the originally-refused meat had been. Suddenly, the realization that she had magic covered her face, and she smiled. Flipping the meat over so that the offending side was facing her, she directed a spurt of fire towards her plate. Within seconds, the meat was properly cooked.

All of a sudden, Dalamar gasped. "Don't eat anything!" Nearly everyone at the table put down their forks with surprise. "Here, take a pinch of this and sprinkle it onto your food." He gave Maeg a handful of what looked like blue-ish sand. "If your food is safe, this will not affect it in any way."

Without further explanation, the elf removed another pinch from one of his pouches and sprinkled it generously over his clichéd vegetable lasagna. The coarse dust turned a bright, putrid, green. One after another, the others spread the gritty stuff over their own food, where it faded away and disappeared.

Raistlin raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, the vegetarian meals, or at least this one, have been poisoned."

Maeg spooned her rice and vegetables onto her bread plate. "Here. You can have this instead." She felt sick to her stomach, but decided to ignore it in favor of taking action. Dalamar nodded, his face displaying no emotions. A few other people donated their side dishes to the elf, and the group began to eat a silent dinner.

Finally, when the group thought they could bear silence no longer, the waitstaff came to clear the tables. Unfortunately, they were soon faced with an opposing problem. With the promise of dessert, the DJ decided that it was time to start the actual dance. As the first notes of what Maeg had termed "gangsta' music" blared over the speakers, Dalamar hunched over into a ball, trying to shield his ears. Raistlin was nearly as displeased, but he would never show such weakness.

Suddenly, Maeg fumbled with her purse. She quickly produced the packets of things that had so puzzled Dalamar. She handed the stricken elf a pack, and opened one herself. The elf watched in pained amazement as she shaped the small blobs and stuck them in her ears. Imitating her, he found that the noise had lessened considerably. As Maeg distributed the rest of the packets, she spoke.

"_Earplugs. I know they're not perfect, but at least we won't completely lose our hearing by the end of the night!"_ She heard silent recognitions from the rest of the group. _"I love magic! Before this, I could either talk to my friends, or leave a party head-ache free, but now I can do both!"_

Of course, if they had chosen to, the mages could have made a silence bubble around them so that they would be able to converse. However, besides taking up much magic that no one would want to sacrifice for something so trivial, the bubble would prevent the group from splitting up or mingling with the rest of the students. While speaking telepathically also used magic, it was considerably less draining, especially since the whole group was in rapport from working together in a coterie. Even Lenny had just enough magic to hear the others' thoughts and reply.

"_We must split up now in order to fulfill our purpose here." _Even Raistlin's mental voice was sharp and caustic. Though the telepathic voices did not change unrecognizably and still held a bit of the thinker's essence, each person's voice did change, becoming something different that reflected their true selves. Raistlin's mental voice, though mostly sharp, also held a tone quality that seemed like the sound his spell components would produce if they could make sound; it was a noise both soft like rose petals and rancid like some of the less savory objects in his pouches.

At the archmagus' command, the group split up and started to mingle. Maeg took Dalamar's hand, and they began to walk towards the tables on the opposite side of the room. As they passed people, Maeg tried to catch their eyes with hers. If she could establish eye contact with someone as she passed, she was able to breach the other person's mind. Once there, it was fairly simple to put up artificial walls to keep out other intruders, and leave a small thread of magic connecting the other student to herself. It took a lot less magic to leave only shreds of control in many people than to completely command one, so it was not too difficult for Maeg and Dalamar to achieve. In not too long a time, the two started to notice more and more golden-eyed students among the crowd.

Finally, they reached the group of tables across room, on the opposite side of the dance floor. _"So, are we having fun yet?"_ Dalamar smirked as Maeg's voice sounded in his head.

"_Not that I can sense. So, this is the famed Prom, which no seniors may miss, and its taboo for juniors not to go as well? Impressive."_ Dalamar's mental voice dripped with sarcasm. Maeg was interested to hear the timbre of his heart's voice; it was bittersweet, holding both a hint of flowers and trees in spring, and undertones of restraint and resentment. As Raistlin's did, Dalamar's inner voice also sounded impossibly like spell components. Maeg idly wondered what her voice sounded like to the others, and if the voice of the heart changed as a person grew, or if the heart always knew what a person was to become. It was an odd thought, and stank too much of fate for Maeg's liking. With a slight shiver, she turned her mind back to the dance.

"_What do we do now?"_ Maeg's question was valid; the two had hours in which to make sure no one in the dance was under Takhisis' control.

"_I'm guessing that you don't wish to engage in the encouraged prostitution occurring over there?"_ Dalamar nodded towards the mass of writhing students crowding the dance floor. At Maeg's grinning affirmative, Dalamar continued. _"For lack of anything else to do, shall we walk around outside of this room?"_

As they had already crossed the seething mass of humanity that controlled the majority of the room, this did not seem like a bad idea. Maeg and Dalamar wandered through the lobby of the hotel room, and soon noticed a door leading to an outside courtyard. In a mutual decision, they changed direction and wandered that way.

Outside, the air was fresh and quiet, a welcome change from the cacophony inside the dance hall. The two gratefully took out their earplugs for the moment. It was still fairly early in the evening, and the sky was lit with summer's twilight. While the courtyard was not immense or grand, the center being dominated by an extremely grimy-looking swimming pool, the left end was pleasant. It was there that the two walked, among the carefully-gardened trees that surrounded the white gazebo. They walked in silence, taking comfort from each other's presence.

Dalamar had leaned down and was kissing Maeg gently when their pristine moment was broken. "Dalamar!" Catalina's voice echoed harshly through the small garden. "I didn't expect you to be here." As she normally did, she ignored Maeg.

Dalamar kept his arm around the small human protectively. "And why would you have thought that, Catalina?" His voice was icy, and held no trace of the warmth he'd felt just moments before.

"I didn't think that you had anyone to go with." Though he didn't show it, Dalamar thought her advances ridiculous. On top of everything else, the girl was wearing a slinky golden-orange dress that accentuated her board-like figure rather than hiding it.

Maeg cleared her throat pointedly. "Oh. Hi, Maeg. I didn't see you. Nice dress." While Catalina was outwardly polite and even friendly, the two girls' dislike for each other was obvious.

"Yours is nice as well. I guess we'd best be heading back in, then." Maeg grabbed Dalamar's hand and led him towards the door. It was a sign of just how much she disliked the girl that she'd rather be in the crowded, loud dance hall than share the lovely arbor.

When they got inside, they crossed the brothel… dance floor that it, and found the others in their group. Suddenly, much to the Krynnish mages' astonishment, all of their Earth friends and students elected to travel towards the dance floor. Dalamar and Raistlin found themselves being dragged along by their respective dates and exchanged puzzled glances.

Suddenly, Maeg grabbed Dalamar's arms and stood in front of him. Soon, she was wildly gesticulating with both sets of arms over her head, showing Dalamar what to do. As the confused mage went along with it helplessly, the teens around him shrieked to the music: "Y! M! C! A! We're gonna stay at the Y! M! C! A!"

About a half an hour later, the Krynnish mages dragged their prom dates back to the table and collapsed as several of the others of the group went to mingle again. The mages had been forced by the teens to dance not only the "YMCA", but also the Electric Slide, Shout, Cotton Eyed Joe, and several other songs that did not seem to be dance-specific, but were not as repulsive to the teens as the previous music had been. Raistlin decided that a worthwhile use for his magic would be to heat the water in his glass so that he could have his tea. He'd barely made it through the energetic Cotton Eyed Joe alive, or so he thought. Dalamar was only slightly better off.

"_Why?"_ Though Raistlin's mental voice was not nearly as raspy as his actual voice would likely be, his terse question, unusually short even for him, showed his extreme exhaustion.

Jess grinned. _"Because its fun! Besides, you have no right to complain – we each,"_ she indicated Maeg and herself _"Had to dance at the bar and bat mitzvahs of a dozen of our classmates, not to mention family members!"_

Suddenly, Dalamar looked up. _"What was that? Did any of you hear that?"_ The others looked around in confusion at first, but then all doubt as to the reason for Dalamar's distress was erased.

All of a sudden, the four all heard a scream resound in their heads. _"HELP!"_

"_I think that's Maria!"_ Maeg got up with a leap that looked odd in her ball gown.

"_Come on." _Raistlin's weakness seamed to have been forgotten, or at least cast aside. He led the group across the hall to where the magical cries seemed to have originated. Finally, they reached their comrade. They found her with her eyes locked on Taylor's, and neither seemed able to move.

Raistlin quickly examined the situation with his magic. _"It seems as though Takhisis laid a trap in Taylor's mind. The first person to look in would be caught, and likely have his or her mind taken away after their own barriers fell. Maria has another minute or two."_

"_How do we help her?"_ Despite Raistlin's calm demeanor and his assurances that they still had plenty of time, Maeg was worried about her friend.

Dalamar and Raistlin exchanged glances. _"You two had best leave us."_ Dalamar shoved Maeg gently towards the door to the lobby. This was not something that the relatively innocent Earth girls should see. Jess was about to protest, but then thought better of it. The two walked away, not really wanting to think about what was being done behind them.

As soon as the girls were out of sight, the two Krynnish mages turned to the problem at hand. They needed no words to communicate their plans, not even the silent communication they had been relying upon that night. Dalamar held on to Maria, both physically and mentally. He began pushing away Takhisis' holds and gently taking control of those facilities. Maria would likely be grievously hurt were she to regain total control of her body too suddenly.

Raistlin began bombarding Taylor directly. He quickly and efficiently burned away the trap that Takhisis had set, taking little care to protect the mind behind it. Soon, he had erased all traces of Takhisis from the girl's mind. She swooned, and he magically transported her outside into the lobby.

Maeg and Jess came back in to join them as Dalamar gave Maria back her facilities, one by one. Soon, she was able to support herself and speak again.

_"I… I couldn't fight it…"_ She was obviously still very shaken by her ordeal.

_"You fought admirably." _Raistlin's praise surprised everyone. _"You were fighting a goddess. You could not expect to win. Resisting was all you could do, and you did that. We should sit down."_

The five traversed the room and sat back down at their table. Dalamar and Raistlin decided that they should patrol the room again, and they left their dates to help Maria regain her confidence.

After a few minutes, Maria was feeling much better. She decided that she was ready to rejoin Joan, who had been staying with her until the incident, at which point Joan was in the restroom. Jess decided that she should go with Maria just in case, because she and Maeg were both strong enough to defend themselves.

A few seconds after Maeg had been left alone at the table, a large hand tapped her on that back. She turned around, wondering who outside of their group would bother coming to talk to her. It was Arnold.

"Dance with me, Maeg." Despite the earplugs protecting her from the noise, Maeg could still tell what Arnold was asking.

"I don't really feel like it right now, Arnold. Thanks for asking." She hoped that this non-confrontational statement would get rid of him. She had not counted on his persistence.

"Well, I feel like it right now. Come on." He grabbed her arm. Maeg began to panic. She was never really good at keeping her head in situations like this.

_"Help!"_ Her mental yell was more of a reflex than a conscious decision. However, it gave her the cue she needed to figure out what she needed to be done. It reminded her of her magic.

"Let go of me, Arnold. I'm warning you." She stood her ground, not letting him lead her to the dance floor where the masses continued to writhe.

"Or what?" He leered. "Your boyfriend is not here to 'protect' you this time." He had said the magic words. There were few things that Maeg hated more than the implication that she needed a man for anything. With a fierce shriek, she pushed at him with all of her might. As she pushed with her arms, she also sent a bolt of power streaking towards the boy. He, not being at all prepared for such a vigorous attack, took the blow with full force. As the power struck his mind, he fainted.

Maeg stared in horror at what she had done, praying to everything and anything that might be listening that she had not killed him. Luckily, Dalamar had just managed to fight his way across the floor back to her in answer to her cry for help. As Maeg started hyperventilating, Dalamar took her in his arms, shielding her from the sight of the fallen body.

_"He will recover."_ Raistlin's sharp voice cut through Maeg's fog. _"He has simply been incapacitated temporarily."_ Maeg breathed a sigh of relief. She had never hurt anything larger than a fly enough to make it pass out, much less kill it.

For another hour or so, there were no more incidents. The Earthlings of the group of mages began to almost enjoy themselves, though the Black Robes were too on edge to derive any enjoyment from the party. Suddenly, their wariness was justified.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Takhisis was speaking into the microphone, and had turned off the music.

_"Don't look up!"_ Raistlin's warning came just in time. Strong enough to resist a general spell of the goddess', Raistlin projected the image of what he saw onto the minds of his comrades. This disco ball was reflecting a huge eye; one of the eyes of the Five-Headed Dragon. As all of the students looked up at the goddess, the hard work that took her enemies hours to do was undone within seconds. Caught in the glance of the goddess, all were helpless to resist her spell of persuasion.

Everyone in Raistlin and Dalamar's army, save Lenny who had never put a spell on anyone, nearly fell over as Takhisis wrenched control of the whole junior and senior body away from them. Even Raistlin and Dalamar, used to unusual backlash from spells, staggered.

Understandably, Raistlin recovered from this shock first. Assessing the situation quickly, he realized that there was only one possible course of action. He forced his way into all of the others, and grabbed their power. All were too shocked by this unforeseen attack to protest.

Gathering all of their power, Raistlin whispered a prayer to all three gods of magic and hoped that they would understand the need for him to steal the power. Muttering the words of the spell for extra effect, Raistlin shaped the power into a spear and hurled it at the disco-ball-turned-divine-eye.

Takhisis shrieked as the light exploded, taking with it much of her power. With what power she had left, she disappeared to some unknown den to nurse her wounds. The students, suddenly released from the power that had been holding them, wandered blankly back to their tables and sat down.

Raistlin turned back to his own table and sank down into a chair. His eyes closed momentarily, and his breathing was erratic. Finally, he was able to appraise the damage he had done, though he was still swaying slightly with exhaustion.

"She's gone," Raistlin gasped aloud. Luckily, no one had turned the music back on after the explosion, because few of the mages had the strength left to communicate mentally.

"You could have asked!" Maeg accused.

"No time. Besides, shouldn't you be thanking me rather than chastising me?" Maeg had the grace to look ashamed.

The Earth girl looked around at the assembled group and the recently vacated dance floor. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "I refuse to say that I've been to prom and not had a slow dance with my boyfriend!"

"Good idea!" Jess grinned at her friend, both for the idea and the change of subject. She pulled Maeg close, and the two spoke in hushed whispers for a moment. It seemed that for some reason, whether an alien feeling akin to friendship or simple time constraints, Raistlin had not completely drained Jess of her magic. She had the strength left to pull a single CD from home to the hotel so that they could hear a song worth playing.

After much muted debate, the two came to a conclusion. "Well," Maeg sounded apologetic. "It's not the best song to dance to, but we agreed that it is definitely the most appropriate for the occasion."

Jess summoned the disk, and made her way towards the DJ's station. After a couple of minutes of fiddling, she managed to insert the CD and get it up to the proper track. She moved back to the table and held her hand out to Raistlin, who reluctantly stood. Maeg and Dalamar got up and walked to the deserted dance floor as well. With her last iota of power, Jess started the song.

In the silence of stupefied hall, the four danced to "The Music of the Night."

**A/N:** Please review. Remember, though all reviews are greatly appreciated, helpful descriptive ones help me to write more quickly!


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